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Future of E2 nightclub building in limbo after 2003 tragedy

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Published  October 17, 2024 5:44pm CDT
South Loop
FOX 32 Chicago

Future of E2 nightclub building in limbo after 2003 tragedy

A 2003 stampede at the E2 nightclub in Chicago’s South Loop left 21 people dead and over 50 injured; the vacant building's future is now being debated.

The Brief 

    • A 2003 stampede at the E2 nightclub in Chicago’s South Loop left 21 people dead and over 50 injured; the vacant building's future is now being debated.
    • The building, located in the Motor Row District, is not a landmark itself but lies in a protected historic area, requiring Landmarks Commission approval for any changes.
    • The building’s owner seeks to demolish it, but the Landmarks Commission denied the request; a final decision is expected next month before being sent to the City Council.

CHICAGO - Plans for the former E2 nightclub in the South Loop remain up in the air more than two decades after tragedy struck. 

It's where a deadly stampede in 2003 left 21 people dead and more than 50 others injured.

Now, the vacant building is at the center of debate, with its future in question.

After previously denying a demolition request, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks held a public hearing Thursday morning, giving community members and relatives of the victims a chance to weigh in. 

Still, no decision has been made on whether the building, which is in the city’s historic Motor Row District, will be torn down.

The Motor Row District is a designated Chicago Landmark and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

"This is one of the most intact districts of these motor row showrooms in the nation," said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago.

The building, located at 2347 S. Michigan Ave., was completed in 1910 and originally housed a Fiat showroom.

In order to make changes to the former nightclub, Miller explained the building’s current owner needs approval from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

He added that he feels finding a way to honor the victims while also encouraging a rebirth of the current building would be beneficial to historic preservation.

"My heart and our hearts go out to the people that were lost there," said Miller. "And development, in this case-sensitive development, is a reinvestment in these structures."

But over the summer, the site’s current owner submitted a permit application to demolish the building.

"It's been unoccupied for 21 years, so it just doesn't make sense to keep it here, but the families, a lot of the family members want it here," said Takala Welch, a local activist. "It's still something for them to kind of hold onto because it's the last piece of them."

Welch, who holds a vigil for the victims each year, said there's been talk of turning the site into a memorial for years.

"Some of the ideas that have been thrown around over the last few years was putting a park here, also to reopen it as a museum for the 21 victims," said Welch.

Owner Randy Shifrin, who purchased the property in 2021, has been in conversations with the victims’ families. He has proposed a 21-story housing development, which would feature a memorial for those who were killed.

"The new owner, he met with people, he talked with them. Very compassionate guy, very open to ideas. If it stays here as a landmark, then it's probably going to cost the owner like, triple the amount of money to fix this place up," said Welch. "The inside of this building is in deplorable condition."

Additionally, Commissioner Marlene Hopkins, with the Chicago Department of Buildings, issued a letter to Shifrin earlier this year, in which she deemed the building unsafe and called for either its demolition or restoration.

When the owner applied for a permit to demolish the site, however, it was denied by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks—which cited historical significance tied to the 20th-century automobile industry—leaving the future of the building at a standstill.

The attorney for Shifrin said they are ready to move forward but cannot proceed without city approval.

After hours of testimony on Thursday from Shifrin’s attorney, the attorney representing the city’s Department of Planning and Development, and the public, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks is now tasked with determining the next steps for the site.  

The commission is expected to make a final decision on the demolition request next month, before sending its recommendation to the Chicago City Council.