The Mirror

May 22, 2026

At the University of Illinois, campus bars are plentiful and full of music on the weekends. But it’s a broken-down historic house on the edge of campus that’s served as the heart of the underground DIY music party scene. In this short documentary, we meet its owners and some of the students and musicians who have enjoyed its dingy, storied vibe.

By day, the white house at 508 West Elm Street in Urbana looks like any other modest house in the tree-lined, cozy neighborhood on the edge of the University of Illinois campus. But by night, “The Mirror”, as it has been known since 2021, is the loud, grungy heart of the DIY concert scene in the area. The house, built, in 1889, has hosted more than 100 bands in the living room since 2021. As its popularity has grown, The Mirror has attracted well-known bands from out of state who love the DIY feel of the place.

Student producers from Alison Davis’ Advanced Documentary 440 class at the College of Media documented what would be one of The Mirror’s final house parties before its unexpected shut down in this portrait of the people, the players and the party-goers who made the Mirror so special.