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Excelsior Club.
Begun in 1944, the leading private black social club in the Southeast was
the excelsior, which stands at 921 Beatties Ford Road about one-half mile
north of Johnson C. Smith University. The club is unrivaled as an Art
Moderne landmark and has been an important symbol of status for
upper-and-middle-class black professionals since World War II. It opened
with a small bar and seating for seventy-five; applicants were carefully
screened for membership among Charlotte's civic and political leaders.
Members gathered in the main dining room and conference room, and the
entertainment hall invited them to a small stage where Nat "
King" Cole and others performed. Built in 1910, the club building's
physical core is a basic square house. It was extensively remodeled in
1952 with glass blocks, horizontal trim, and smooth surfaces in the Art
Moderne style. The club was the dream and creation of owner Jimmie McKee.
He pushed WGIV's radio station owner to broadcast live from the club and
promoted radio performances by black talent. Emcee "Genial Gene"
Potts entertained black radio listeners live from the club, which became a
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark in 1986. Courtesy (Lew Powell) |
