Updated: Judge Rules Double Door Must Vacate Wicker Park Space
By Gwendolyn Purdom in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 14, 2016 9:16PM
Updated: 8:00 a.m.July 15.
After a long and contentious legal fight, embattled Wicker Park music venue Double Door was ordered to vacate its long-occupied space Thursday. Judge Orville Hambright Jr. ordered representatives of the club to appear in court again Aug. 4 to determine when exactly they need to be out.
The judge said he would take into consideration the Double Door's schedule, which has bands and shows booked into March 2017, according to the Tribune. Despite the ruling, Double Door's co-owner, Sean Mulroney, told the Tribune that he thinks he has "one more chance," to keep the club open.
The decision comes following a months-long dispute in which the property's landlord claimed the club didn't give adequate notice that it wanted to renew its lease, while the club owners insist that they did. Patrons and fans of the venue flocked to its defense in droves, circulating a petition to save the more-than-20-year-old club that got 15,000 signatures in May.
We've reached out to Double Door's legal team for comment and will update this story when we hear back. The Club released a statement via Facebook and Twitter Thursday night that said it is "business as usual" at the club and did not directly mention the ruling:
"Thank you everyone for the support. It is business as usual with confirmed shows booked and announced through 2017, and we look forward to hosting many more events for you in the years to come. Visit www.doubledoor.com for our list of events, and see you soon!"
William Dorsey, the attorney who represented the Double Door's landlords, told Chicagoist the Strauss family has not decided what to do with the property yet. But the ruling, he said, "is a vindication of what we've known all along...that the lease with Double Door expired. At this point, it's time to turn the page on this relationship."
This isn't the first time Double Door has been threatened with eviction: In 2005, the club's landlords also wanted to boot it but eventually came to a much buzzed-about agreement with its owners in court.