American Football album cover
The cover of American Football's self-titled 1999 album is an iconic image within the occasionally intersecting communities of emo-rock and suburbia fetishists. Today, the Illinois band announced that the house had been put up for sale last fall, and that they'd recently completed a purchase of the property.
Joining American Football in the sale were their label Polyvinyl along with Chris Strong, Atiba Jefferson, and Open House Contemporary. In a statement, the band said that they wanted to avoid the house being turned into a condo. The new owners, according to the statement, will "preserve its place and legacy within the community that built it." In 2016, Vice published an article diving into the house's popularity with fans of the band.
Read the band's full statement below.
Last fall we received word that 704 W High Street in Urbana might be sold soon. Shortly thereafter American Football, Polyvinyl, Chris Strong, Atiba Jefferson, and Open House Contemporary made a pact: we'd all buy the house together before developers could demolish it and build a condo.
Today, with sincere joy, we are excited to share that we have collectively purchased The American Football House in an effort to preserve its place and legacy within the community that built it.
Here's to keeping this landmark alive for many more years to come.
