The Warehouse, Birthplace of House Music, Faces Closure as Petition is Launched to Save It

A petition has been launched to save The Warehouse, a Chicago nightclub that played a significant role in the birth of house music. The club, which operated from 1977 until the early 1990s, was known for hosting DJ Frankie Knuckles as its first musical director. Knuckles played a mix of genres including soul, R&B and disco, which helped create the house music genre. The petition seeks to prevent the demolition of the three-story industrial building at 206 S. Jefferson Street in Chicago’s West Loop, which has “zero protections against alterations or demolition”. The petition asks authorities at the City of Chicago to designate the building a Chicago Landmark to give it greater protection going forward, and preserve it as a symbol of Chicago’s gay and Black communities and the impact of house music. The building was sold in December 2022, and efforts to reach the new owners have been unsuccessful. The petition can be found here.