The City of St. Charles closed Club Arcada on March 21 due to a series of code violations.

The owner of the building that houses the Arcada Theatre and Club Arcada was served notice on March 21 to halt operations until code violations are corrected.

The landmark downtown entertainment center made a series of fixes and was back open on Friday.

“Onesti Entertainment had crews working through the night to address fire and building code violations,” according to a post on the Arcada web site.  “St. Charles Fire Department and building and code enforcement officials have been working with Onesti Entertainment and inspected both the Arcada Theatre and Club Arcada, resulting in the temporary occupancy. Crews will continue working Monday to address any remaining violation concerns.”

Complaints from patrons about overcrowding, accessibility of building exits, and the ability to hear the fire alarm during a performance at the Arcada Theatre were made to the St. Charles Fire Department beginning in November 2018.

The St. Charles Fire Department followed up on those complaints, found them to be valid, and issued notices to correct the conditions.

Due to the extent and nature of additional deficiencies revealed during complaint follow-up inspections, the Fire Department scheduled a complete code and safety inspection to take place during the building’s regularly scheduled annual review in March. They engaged an independent, third-party fire protection consultant to participate in the detailed review.

This in-depth inspection was performed March 12 by B&F Construction Code Services, Inc., out of Elgin, along with St. Charles Fire Department officials and City Building & Code Enforcement staff.

The results of that detailed inspection necessitated the closure of the Arcada Theatre and Club Arcada.

“The City of St. Charles is working closely with the Arcada building’s owner to correct the violations and ensure the safety of the Arcada Theatre and Club Arcada patrons,” said St. Charles Fire Chief Joseph Schelstreet.

The building, which houses the Arcada Theatre and Club Arcada, dates back to 1934.

“The Arcada Theatre is an iconic destination in St. Charles and we want to work with the building’s owner to get this community treasure back up and running as quickly as possible,” said Schelstreet.