| Address | 206 S. Jefferson Street, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1910,-1977 |
| Architect | Vernon W. Behel |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | June 21, 2023 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 1363 |
| Neighborhood | Near West Side |
| Type | Store and market |
| Landmark ID | L-381 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“The Warehouse is culturally significant to Chicago's LGBTQ, Black and Latino community as the first supporters of house music at The Warehouse and who found a sense of community, self expression and hope in The Warehouse's revolutionary music.”
“Over time, The Warehouse became popular with a broad range of Chicago club goers, and it was one of the first venues that broke down the barriers between gay and straight club scenes.”
“When Williams searched New York in 1976 seeking to fill the new DJ booth at The Warehouse, he first offered the post to Levan. However, by that time Levan had started his own club, the first of several that were very popular in New York's club scene, particularly Paradise Garage which lent its name to the Garage genre of dance music.”
“While The Warehouse initially catered to Chicago's gay Black men and women, and to some extent Latinos, the reputation of the club's revolutionary new music attracted a wider audience beginning in the early 1980s, it was one of the first entertainment venue in Chicago where gay and straight club goers of multiple races and ethnicities shared a dance floor.”
“The building at 206 S. Jefferson is significant for its association with The Warehouse which was located there from 1977 to 1982. The setting is somewhat altered by new construction, but many industrial loft buildings from the period of The Warehouse survive.”
“Designed in 1910 by industrial architect Vernon W. Behel for owner J. J. Gallery, the three-story building measures 24 feet across its front and 100 feet deep. The building is located near the northwest corner of South Jefferson Street and West Adams Street with its primary façade facing east onto Jefferson.”
What other designation reports say about this building
“Shelton was a party promoter who had thrown his first Chicago party in 1979 at The Warehouse club (206 South Jefferson Street, a designated Chicago Landmark) with DJ Frankie Knuckles, one of the progenitors of the Chicago-born genre of “house music.” By 1983, Shelton had…”