A hub for live international music in the Chicago area has announced it’s closing its doors. The HotHouse in the South Loop will host its last show at the end of July. Chicago Public Radio’s Mike Rhee has more.
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Earlier this year, the HotHouse kicked off a series of fund-raising events to try and save its nine-year old home. It faced a number of issues, including a long-standing disagreement with its landlord and tens of thousands of dollars of debt. Also, last year, the board of directors’ forced out HotHouse founder, Marguerite Horberg.
That all came to a head this week. In a written statement, the organization said its landlord gave it an offer to move out that it “could not refuse.” It went on to say HotHouse will continue producing music events around the city in other venues. The not-for-profit organization began in 1987 as a for profit-arts center in the Wicker Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North West Side. HotHouse moved to its current location in the South Loop in 1998.