Landmarks panel could deny request to demolish building where 21 people died in stampede
Owners of an early 20th century building on the Near South Side who are seeking to demolish the two-story structure in the historical Motor Row District could see their request denied by a landmarks panel.
The building at 2347 S. Michigan Ave.was built in 1910 and once housed a Fiat dealership.
In a preliminary hearing set for Thursday, the Commission of Chicago Landmarks is expected to rule that the building "contributes to the character of the Motor Row District which provides an excellent illustration of the early development of the American automobile industry and features the largest intact collection of early automobile dealerships and related businesses in the United States."
Officials said the demolition of the building would affect and destroy significant historical and architectural features of the property and the district.
The owners, Motor Row Investments LLC, issued an application for a "wrecking pre-permit inspection" that was partially approved June 25, according to the city’s Department of Buildings.
Motor Row Investments purchased the building in 2021.
The building was also home of the former E2 nightclub, where 21 people died in a stampede in 2003.
On the night of Feb. 17, 2003, a security guard used pepper spray after a fight broke out in the crowded nightclub of the popular venue and eatery at 23rd Street and Michigan Avenue, triggering a rush from the second floor. Twenty-one people were crushed to death and 50 others were injured.
Calvin Hollins and Dwain Kyles, who co-owned the nightclub, were convicted in 2009 of criminal contempt for violating a judge’s order to close the second floor of the club. They were sentenced to two years in prison.
They appealed, and in 2013, an appellate court agreed that the building code violation was not the “proximate cause” of the deaths and the prison sentence was too harsh. The court ordered that the pair be sentenced again.
In 2015, they were each sentenced to two years' probation and 500 hours of community service by a Cook County judge.