Chicago Is Finally Getting Its Long-Overdue Blues Museum, Right In The Loop

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 28, 2017 12:22AM

It's no secret that Chicago has done a pretty poor job of stewarding its peerless legacy of blues music. But it looks like that poor track record is finally about to be rectified, as a dedicated blues museum is expected to open in the spring of 2019.

According to Crain's, a 50,000-square-foot museum space, to be dubbed the Chicago Blues Experience, will take up residence at 25 E. Washington St., near Millennium Park. The for-profit group behind the venture is chaired by Buddy Guy and is currently looking to raise $25 million in equity capital.

The museum will have three subterranean levels, a 150-person-accommodating lounge with live music, interactive historical exhibits, and "re-creations of Maxwell Street, Chess Studios, an exploration of the British Invasion and how the blues is reflected in contemporary music."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel showed his support for the museum in a statement on Monday:

"Chicago is the birthplace of urban blues and the perfect home for the new Blues Experience museum. Every year, the iconic Chicago Blues Festival celebrates our rich cultural legacy and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to hear the finest blues acts in the world. The museum will pay further tribute to the home-grown genre that's given life to legends like Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and so many more. Chicago is proud to host the Blues Experience that will help visitors from around the world connect with one of America's greatest art forms."

It would've been nice to see planners look toward the South Side, where Chicago blues are obviously rooted, for a location. But given that the city for so long let one of its most major cultural legacies go so neglected (see Muddy Waters' house), it's still a corrective worth celebrating.