The Cotto
n Club, which sits in aloof detachment away from the rest of Harlem’s historical institutions, has always been an anomaly of sorts. The first question that comes to mind is ‘why is it waayyyy over here?’ The second thing is, ‘it sure is small.’ That’s because the location of the present day Cotton Club is not the original Cotton Club. The one that was
made famous in romanticized gangster movies with images of the dapper Duke Ellington and the swinging Cab Calloway accompanied by leggy cafe au lait chorus girls like Lena Horne, was actually located several blocks east and almost 20 blocks north.
Sitting atop The Douglas Theater, on 142nd & Lenox Avenue, the original home of The Cotton Club was a destination for wealthy white patrons who came uptown looking for a bit of excitement and some hooch. The original Cotton Club was notoriously segregated and instituted a strict policy against non white patrons. Even their selection of chorus girls was suited to the discriminating tastes of their clientèle. “In 1933, Prohibition ended, and in 1936 The Cotton Club moved downtown to Broadway and 48th Street. ‘The Harlem Renaissance’, fueled by Prohibition and White patronage, had also ended.” [nfo.net] The original site of the Cotton Club was demolished in 1958 along with the Savoy Ballroom and the Lenox Club, for the construction of Bethune Towers and Delano Village (now Savoy Park.) The present location in Harlem opened its doors in 1978 with old band leader Cab Calloway in attendance.
Click on images to enlarge. Photo source: nfo.net
Cerenity
June 3, 2008
I am helping my mentor find her family and am in need of some assistance. Would you happen to know of any historical societies or information keepers of The Cotton Club? We have been told that both of her mother’s sister’s worked at the club. Any information or suggestions would be of great help. Thanks.