Demolition starts at former E2 nightclub building where 21 people died in a stampede

Demolition began Tuesday on the nearly 115-year-old Near South Side building that formerly housed the E2 Nightclub, where 21 people died in a stampede in 2003.

City officials last month issued an emergency order to demolish the two-story building at 2347 S. Michigan Ave., which has been vacant since the tragedy, following inspections that found the building was unsafe.

The order runs contrary to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ denial of the property owner’s request to demolish the building in August. The landmarks commission had denied the request on a recommendation from city planning officials.

Randy Shifrin, the property owner, said that he still intends to construct a 21-story affordable housing building called “Tower 21” as a memorial for the victims.

“I’m happy the building is coming down only because it saves the poor families from every day looking at the place where their loved ones perished,” Shifrin told the Sun-Times.

The building dates to 1910 when it opened as a Fiat showroom in the historic Motor Row District during the early days of the automobile. It later became infamous in Chicago as the home of the E2 nightclub, where, on the night of Feb. 17, 2003, a security guard used pepper spray after a fight broke out on the crowded second floor, triggering a rush down a stairwell leading to a narrow doorway. Twenty-one people were crushed to death and 50 others were injured.

The Motor Row District runs from 14th Street to 24th Street, mostly along Michigan Avenue. Landmarks commission members had agreed unanimously in August that the building, with a street frontage of plate-glass windows from its showroom days, is important to the district. They also noted at the time the Holabird & Roche-designed building, with a decorated façade of brick and terra cotta, was intact and mostly in good repair.

But Shifrin, who bought the property in 2021, said much of the building was beyond repair, including part of the roof that had been collapsed for about a year. He said the property would be better served with a new project.

Shifrin said there’s “no better way” to honor the victims than to “build something beautiful for hard-working people,” especially for those who would never have imagined being able to afford living on Michigan Avenue.

During a special meeting of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in October, some of the victims’ family members shared testimony about the grief they’ve endured since the incident while speaking in support of tearing down the building.

Howard Ray remembered getting “a call no one ever wishes to receive” early that morning from a family member saying that Ray’s younger brother, 24-year-old DaShand Ray, was inside the nightclub and hadn’t been accounted for. “Four to five agonizing hours later,” he was told that his brother had died, Ray said.

Ray proposed the creation of an “E2 financial center,” which he said would be a resource for low-interest loans and business grants to families in distressed neighborhoods.

“Our goal is simple: We do not want the memories of our loved ones to be erased,” Ray said.

“The E2 financial center will serve as both a memorial and for positive change,” Ray said. “It will ensure that this tragedy is never forgotten by transforming sorrow into opportunity. In doing so, it will help future generations thrive and bring a higher quality of life to underserved communities.”

“We are not simply here to reflect on the past. We are here to honor 21 lives lost by making sure their legacy creates a brighter future for us.”