Cotton Club/Savoy Ballroom

harlem renaissance

The Cotton Club &The Savoy Ballroom

harlem renaissance

Index

harlem renaissance

Cotton Club

• The cotton Club was ‘white only, except for black celebrities that will be performing and staff workers that were black (Conklin)
• The Cotton Club was Harlem’s premier nightclub in the 1920s and 1930s during the prohibition and segregation era (Menu from the Cotton Club)
• It was created to provide “authentic black entertainment” to a wealthy white only audience. (Conklin)

harlem renaissance

Savoy Ballroom - The Heartbeat of Harlem

• Unlike the Cotton club the Savoy Ballroom had a non-discrimination policy, it was one of the few clubs where both black and white people were welcomed.
• In operation from March 12, 1926 to July 10, 1958.
• It was managed by African-American businessman Charles Buchanan.
• Called “Home Of Happy Feet”.

history quiz

Conclusion

The two places were substantially different, and they are remembered as such. To this day there's a commemorative plaque for the Savoy Ballroom on Lenox Avenue between 140th and 141st Streets, and the legacy of the ballroom was even honored by google in 2021 with an interactive doodle rythm game.

The End!

WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funk, Clayton. “Art, Culture, Music, Film, Television.” The Savoy Ballroom, aaep1600.osu.edu/book/01_SavoyBallroom.php#:~:text=At%20a%20time%20when%20racial,in%20an%20unsegregated%20public%20space. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024. Abdoulaev, Alexandre. “Savoy: Reassessing the Role of the ‘World’s Finest Ballroom’ in Music and Culture, 1926-1958.” Boston University Libraries OpenBU, 22 Jan. 2016, open.bu.edu/handle/2144/15146#:~:text=During%20its%20lifetime%2C%20the%20Savoy,important%20groundwork%20for%20racial%20integration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_Ballroom#:~:text=Unlike%20many%20ballrooms%20such%20as,there%20was%20an%20even%20split. https://welcometoharlem.com/the-savoy-ballroom/#:~:text=With%20Lindy%20Hop%20being%20said,known%20as%20%E2%80%9CCats%20Corner%E2%80%9D.

“Program / Menu from the Cotton Club for Project 23274: Smithsonian Digital Volunteers.” For Project 23274 | Smithsonian Digital Volunteers, transcription.si.edu/project/23274#:~:text=The%20Cotton%20Club%20was%20Harlem%27s,Billie%20Holiday%2C%20and%20Ethel%20Waters. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Club