Gleason’s, variously referred to as Gleason’s Bar, Gleason’s Musical Bar, Gleason’s Cafe, and Gleason’s Restaurant, was a bar and restaurant located at 5219 Woodland Ave., at the corner of Woodland and East 55th Street. It was founded by William “Jap” Gleason in 1944. Prior to opening the restaurant, Gleason had been a manager for Alonzo […]
The Harlem Social Club opened on September 25, 1941. The proprietor, Alright “Al” Murdock, had previously run the Ever-Ready Beer Garden for six years before selling it to the Workingmen’s Social and Literary Club in 1941. He sold the Beer Garden to take time off for his health following a car accident. Only a few […]
Leo’s first opened in 1952 at 4817 Central Avenue and was owned by Leo Frank. It operated as a bar, but later expanded to a jazz room. In 1962, Leo’s burned down, and in 1963, Frank opened Leo’s Casino at 7500 Euclid Avenue. The club was known for having racially mixed audiences despite high tensions […]
The Turf Club, originally located at 9908 Cedar Avenue, was first referenced in the Call & Post in August 1935, and it appears it had been open for a while at that point. Turf Club later moved to the 9812 Cedar location sometime in 1936 for unspecified reasons. It is unclear why or exactly when […]