Back to the atlas
Starter archiveClosedVerifiedClub1923–1940
Cotton Club
644 Lenox Avenue · Harlem, Manhattan40.8197° N / 73.9367° W
Overview
Famed Harlem nightclub that showcased Black performers to a whites-only audience during Prohibition.
The Cotton Club was a Prohibition-era Harlem nightclub that presented many of the era's most celebrated Black performers — among them Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway — to an audience that was, for most of its history, restricted to white patrons. It is often cited within discussions of the Harlem Renaissance and of segregation in American nightlife.
Oral histories & archival media
Archive plates
Flyer placeholder
FlyerPL.01
Pending acquisition
Photograph placeholder
PhotographPL.02
Pending acquisition
Document placeholder
DocumentPL.03
Pending acquisition
Placeholder plates — cleared scans drop in here
Sonic profile
jazz
Cultural role
Harlem Renaissancejazz showcasesegregation history
DJs, promoters & people
Follow a name to see other rooms they connect to
Tags
#HarlemRenaissance#Prohibition#segregatedaudience#LenoxAvenue