Jazz or Blues bar on Woodward by tunnel

[marcwigle]

This should be easy. ;-) My dad used to go to a bar at the foot of Woodward in the 50's that had a numbered name... the number was the address on Woodward. He said that once you got out of the tunnel, it was right there. I found it mentioned somewhere years ago but never found it again. IIRC, there was a hardware store in it's place now [[or, at least when I found mention of it on the net a few years ago). My dad died last year so I can't ask him so if anyone knows of the name, I'd like to hear from them. He did say that it was a black bar that he and his fellow Canadians would visit on occasion. And he had told me that no one bothered him and his friends because the only whites that would go to the black bars had to be from Canada. I'd like to think that things have changed since then...

[Detroit Stylin]

This should be easy. ;-) My dad used to go to a bar at the foot of Woodward in the 50's that had a numbered name... the number was the address on Woodward. He said that once you got out of the tunnel, it was right there. I found it mentioned somewhere years ago but never found it again. IIRC, there was a hardware store in it's place now [[or, at least when I found mention of it on the net a few years ago). My dad died last year so I can't ask him so if anyone knows of the name, I'd like to hear from them. He did say that it was a black bar that he and his fellow Canadians would visit on occasion. And he had told me that no one bothered him and his friends because the only whites that would go to the black bars had to be from Canada. I'd like to think that things have changed since then...

You mean the 606 Horseshoe Lounge? If so then that was considerably further north of the tunnel and slightly more east of Woodward in the former Paradise Valley, where Comerica Park now sits.

[marcwigle]

You mean the 606 Horseshoe Lounge? If so then that was considerably further north of the tunnel and slightly more east of Woodward in the former Paradise Valley, where Comerica Park now sits.

Nope, not that one. He referred to it as "Club xxx" or the "xxx Club"... the latter name sounds more familiar, for some reason.

Marc

[Fury13]

This should be easy. ;-) My dad used to go to a bar at the foot of Woodward in the 50's that had a numbered name... the number was the address on Woodward. He said that once you got out of the tunnel, it was right there. I found it mentioned somewhere years ago but never found it again. IIRC, there was a hardware store in it's place now [[or, at least when I found mention of it on the net a few years ago). My dad died last year so I can't ask him so if anyone knows of the name, I'd like to hear from them. He did say that it was a black bar that he and his fellow Canadians would visit on occasion. And he had told me that no one bothered him and his friends because the only whites that would go to the black bars had to be from Canada. I'd like to think that things have changed since then...

This most likely would have been the 509 Club, which originally was at 509 Woodward. It featured blues, R&B, and jazz acts of the time, including big local groups like Nolan Strong & the Diablos. In the late '50s, the club relocated up the street to 3929 Woodward, which had been the old Garden Theatre. However, the name, 509 Club, was retained for the new location even though "509" didn't match the new address. Around 1962, the 509 Club [[at the 3929 Woodward location) became The Village, a teen/dance club with live music that became famous as the incubator for artists like Nathaniel Mayer [[it's a matter of debate as to whether The Village was named for his hit record, "Village Of Love"), Gino Washington, The Fabulous Peps, and Billy Lee & the Rivieras [[later to be known as Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels). So, the 509 Club is fairly important in Detroit pop music history.

As for the original location, the entire 500 block of Woodward on the west side of the avenue [[which was all old 19th century storefronts) was demolished in the '60s.

Incidentally, The Village was run by Gabe Glantz [[I believe he had the place in its 509 days as well), who was involved in the Grande Ballroom in the late '60s and in the Michigan Palace rock shows in the '70s.

[gnome]

http://books.google.com/books?id=piX...etroit&f=false

I suggest you do not click on the link above.

[Fury13]

http://books.google.com/books?id=piX...etroit&f=false

I suggest you do not click on the link above.

The 509 may have attracted some gay patrons, but it was not a gay bar, per se.

[marcwigle]

This most likely would have been the 509 Club, which originally was at 509 Woodward. It featured blues, R&B, and jazz acts of the time, including big local groups like Nolan Strong & the Diablos. In the late '50s, the club relocated up the street to 3929 Woodward, which had been the old Garden Theatre. However, the name, 509 Club, was retained for the new location even though "509" didn't match the new address. Around 1962, the 509 Club [[at the 3929 Woodward location) became The Village, a teen/dance club with live music that became famous as the incubator for artists like Nathaniel Mayer [[it's a matter of debate as to whether The Village was named for his hit record, "Village Of Love&quot, Gino Washington, The Fabulous Peps, and Billy Lee & the Rivieras [[later to be known as Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels). So, the 509 Club is fairly important in Detroit pop music history.

As for the original location, the entire 500 block of Woodward on the west side of the avenue [[which was all old 19th century storefronts) was demolished in the '60s.

Incidentally, The Village was run by Gabe Glantz [[I believe he had the place in its 509 days as well), who was involved in the Grande Ballroom in the late '60s and in the Michigan Palace rock shows in the '70s.

That's it! Thanks so much. I wonder if pictures and/or historical material exists?

[marcwigle]

The 509 may have attracted some gay patrons, but it was not a gay bar, per se.

My dad never struck me as someone who would knowingly frequent gay bars and would probably have had a good laugh if he read that story. I'll stick to my belief that he preferred the company of women. ;-) He would have gone there with his cousin, who is still alive and living in one of the Grosse Pointes... I'll be sure to ask him about the 509 Club. His wife and kids mught be interested in the possible "scandal". ;-)

[Fury13]

That's it! Thanks so much. I wonder if pictures and/or historical material exists?

I have been looking for years for photos of the exterior and/or interior of the 509 Club. As far as I know, none exist.

The nightclub's history goes back at least into the early '40s. I found a 1942 reference to it in Billboard [[the entertainment trade paper).

[marcwigle]

Here's a blurb on the "newer" 509 Club location at 3929 Woodward. Something positive for Detroit.

http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/0...ock-at-a-time/

[EastsideAl]

Here's a blurb on the "newer" 509 Club location at 3929 Woodward. Something positive for Detroit.

http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/0...ock-at-a-time/

Nice enough, but what they did to the front of the Garden Theater building is really an abomination. Instead of updating and adaptively reusing what had been a classic theater front [[as seen in that 1923 photo in the Time story) they instead replaced it with the blandest suburban-style 'office park modern' facade imaginable.

Love all of the historical information on the 509 Club though. I remember my father talking about the place [[along with other old Detroit jazz/R&B spots like Klein's, The Flame, Rouge Lounge, etc.), but had never really filled in the details.

[Fury13]

Nice enough, but what they did to the front of the Garden Theater building is really an abomination. Instead of updating and adaptively reusing what had been a classic theater front [[as seen in that 1923 photo in the Time story) they instead replaced it with the blandest suburban-style 'office park modern' facade imaginable.

Love all of the historical information on the 509 Club though. I remember my father talking about the place [[along with other old Detroit jazz/R&B spots like Klein's, The Flame, Rouge Lounge, etc.), but had never really filled in the details.

Al, what you're seeing in that pic is a new structure they put up next to the theater building, replacing some forgettable old one-story storefronts. The theater facade is still relatively intact, and I have to believe that it'll be restored to some extent.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,207.79,,0,0.7

[EastsideAl]

Al, what you're seeing in that pic is a new structure they put up next to the theater building, replacing some forgettable old one-story storefronts. The theater facade is still relatively intact, and I have to believe that it'll be restored to some extent.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,207.79,,0,0.7

OK, must've missed that when I went whizzing past. As an old friend of the former Blue Moon folks, looking at that block doesn't bring up the best of feelings sometimes. Still, that new facade is pretty danged ugly.

[RickBeall]

Hey Gnome, that was a cool link. I just read about "The Slasher". It was a deep glance into 1940-1950 culture when the concept of a killer being "mentually ill" was just being invented. Although the final resolution of the story was withheld from the excerpt. Ha ha. Looking elsewhere I read that murders were done by a 18 year man to avenge his having been molested when he was 9.

Damn, lost in another link on DetroitYes.

[Hornwrecker]

I have been looking for years for photos of the exterior and/or interior of the 509 Club. As far as I know, none exist.

The nightclub's history goes back at least into the early '40s. I found a 1942 reference to it in Billboard [[the entertainment trade paper).

509 Woodward was just north of W Larned, around the second archway of the building on the left of this photo from the early 30s[[?).

Scripps Block Woodward

[marcwigle]

Not sure if this is the way that I should do this but here is a link on a Graden Theater/509 Club etc thread on these forums: http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=578

[marcwigle]

And here's a link to a story on the Diablos and a picture of them at the 509 Club.

http://www.harmonytrain.com/Artists/Diablos.htm

According to this, the picture was taken at the "new" 509.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=udYv...page&q&f=false

[marcwigle]

Censors, censros, censors... the story gets more interesting. From Billboard in 1947, it looks like the police were trying to clean things up in Detroit.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=d_UD...etroit&f=false

In that story, "Wagle Cafe" is mentioned. Given the similarity to my own name and, knowing that family members use that spelling, I am interested in knowing more about the cafe. Has anyone heard of it?

[Hornwrecker]

Attachment 7034
wsu/vmc

The Sanborn maps was labeled as having a club on the second floor of this building in 1921. 509 Woodward was the northernmost storefront.

Anyone know if the 509 Club was on the second floor?