Former Hunters and Phoenix Location To Be Demolished

Sometime next week, a familiar home for thousands of Chicago area gays will face the wrecking ball as the legendary Hunters Nightclub in suburban Elk Grove Village will soon become a 1.5-acre grass lot.

For more than 37 years, Hunters was the premier gay nightclub in the Chicago suburbs. Its central location at 1932 E. Higgins Road is only minutes from all of Chicagoland via I-90, and is only minutes from O'Hare.

In 2013, Hunters rebranded as Phoenix Bar & Nightclub with some big shoes to fill. It closed abruptly last November. The legacy nightclub featured a 6,500 square foot space with a capacity of nearly 600.

Barrington business man Sam Cecola, who is the owner of the Admiral Theatre strip club in Chicago, purchased the location in 2018 with plans to renovate the bar, according to Daily Herald.

After those plans fell through, Elk Grove Village closed on the property this summer for $1.35 million. The lot will be cleared for future development by the Village.

Demolition is scheduled for the week of Oct. 12.