Uptown Chicago is bracing for a musical resurgence as the legendary Double Door music venue gears up to reopen its doors at a new address. Nostalgia hangs in the air as the company’s brass get down to brass tacks, gutting an old bank to bring rock and roll back home – this time, in the historic Wilson Theater.
While the Rolling Stones and Chance the Rapper are among the alumni of the renowned club, Chicagoans have waited since 2017 to see who will grace the stage next. Despite red tape and renovation delays, owners Sean Mulroney and Pete Bruce, dubbed 'The Glimmer Twins' after the Stones' legendary duo, are rolling up their sleeves. "I'm the hardware, he's kind of the software, and it goes together perfect, you know?" Bruce told CBS Chicago.
Demolition at the site is well underway, with Bruce handling much of it solo. The team has tackled everything, from dismantling a colossal eight-ton vault door brick by brick to planning out the future grunge palace. "We did every style of music, every way of music, and we did over 250-60 shows a year," Mulroney reminisced about the venue's glory days in Wicker Park.
The project is a blend of preservation and innovation, with plans to add a marquee that nods to the Double Door's storied aesthetic. "We just wanted to keep the character of this marquee within the proportions of this building," Joyce Ramos, a preservation architect with the city, said at a landmarks commission meeting, as reported by Block Club Chicago.
A vision for a modern rock oasis is being developed – with plans for a 750-capacity venue, two mezzanine levels, VIP seating, and a bank vault turned bar. As they salvage and repurpose, the co-owners continue to crack safes and cultural puzzles. "We’re going to utilize as much parts of the building and repurpose them as we can. We’re going to have fun with it," Mulroney added, according to the Double Door's official podcast.
With the city's landmarks commission's thumbs-up and the public's growing excitement, the Double Door is set to bookmark a new chapter in Chicago's music anthology. The owners tease a possible celebratory opening if summer plans fall through. "If that doesn’t happen, then [we’ll have] a spectacular Halloween opening," Bruce predicted, envisioning a start worthy of the venue's storied history.
