The Warehouse Becomes an Official Chicago Landmark

Chicago’s City Council approved landmark designation for The Warehouse, the legendary venue that helped usher in the house music era.

If you’re hunting for the true history of house music, turn back the clock to 1977 and head to Chicago. There you’ll find the early days of the genre beginning to form at a 113-year-old building in the West Loop, The Warehouse, with legendary resident DJ Frankie Knuckles helping guide the way. Known as the “Godfather of House Music,” his performances at the three-level nightclub, which originally was a membership-only venue popular with gay Black men opened by Robert Williams, began to draw thousands from diverse walks of life who all craved the genre’s infectious grooves.

The Warehouse was at the forefront of the house music revolution that swept over Chicago while becoming a home for LGBTQ people who faced hostility during that time while also being an open space for anyone who wanted to dance. This continued through the early-’80s until it closed in 1982, in which another club, Power Plant, took the reigns.

While the scene moved forward and the popularity of house music began to swell, The Warehouse remained a landmark for the scene. Yet in December 2022, the building was sold, and with an uncertain future, many in the dance music community lept into action. Preservation Chicago ran a petition on Change.org, which has since garnered over 14,000 signatures from members of the community, as the building was cited by them as one of the city’s seven most endangered.

In April, The Warehouse was given “preliminary landmark status” after a monthly Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing, which fast-tracked it to City Hall for a full vote from Chicago’s City Council. Yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the venue was “one step away” from landmark status, and today, the official vote took place to solidify its legacy in the Windy City.

Hours ago, Alderman Bill Conway, whose ward includes the newly minted landmark, took to Twitter to announce the news, thanking those who helped push this campaign along, including the Frankie Knuckles Foundation, Preservation Chicago, and his colleague from the 35th Ward, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.

Alderman Walter Burnett from the 27th Ward also shared his thoughts on The Warehouse, having partied there decades ago. “Being a young man from Cabrini-Green, hanging out with guys who worked in corporate America and women who worked in corporate America and just partying and having a good time,” he said. “It just was a great place. It made everyone feel good. And those parties lasted for a long time.”

House music lovers looking to make their own pilgrimage to The Warehouse can do so by heading to 206 S. Jefferson St.