Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Friday, March 29
The Checkerboard Lounge has closed its doors, after several attempts to find new ownership or relocate to Alderman Dorothy "The Hat" Tillman's (3rd) proposed Blues District a few blocks south. The Checkerboard, at 423 E. 43rd Street, has been the center of Chicago's Bronzeville blues scene since the 1930s. Among the superstars who paid for the chance to play at the Checkerboard were Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton -- now, due to the stubborn refusal of the owner to sell the building to the manager, it will close its doors. Hopefully, if Ms Tillman's controversial "Blues District" ever leaves the ground, the Checkerboard can be resurrected. Don't count on it, though--Ms Tillman's record in development has been abysmal.