- Crawford Grill
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Crawford Grill Pennsylvania Historical Marker signification 
Location of the Crawford Grill in PittsburghLocation: Wylie Avenue at Elmore Street, Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Coordinates: 40°26′44″N 79°58′41″W / 40.44567°N 79.97804°WCoordinates: 40°26′44″N 79°58′41″W / 40.44567°N 79.97804°W Governing body/Owner: private PA marker dedicated: April 7, 2001 Crawford Grill was a renowned jazz club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA's Hill District. Its heyday was the 1930s to 1950s.
South face of the building that housed the Crawford Grill
The club was founded by Gus Greenlee, who first made his reputation as a numbers runner and racketeer, then later as the owner of the Negro League baseball team the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
Music lovers flocked to the Crawford Grill to hear Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughn, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, and other legends of jazz. White musicians who played downtown venues would go uptown to "The Grill" after their gigs to jam into the night with black musicians. The Crawford Grill was a meeting spot for people of all colors who loved jazz.
The club's fourth incarnation, which re-opened in 2003 as "Crawford Grill on the Square" at Station Square, closed in early 2006.
The Crawford Grill, which is a distinct building from the "Crawford Grill on the Square", was put up for sale in November 2006.
It received a historical marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2001.[1]
References
- Nate Guidry (2006). New Crawford Grill Plays Its Last Note. Retrieved January 10, 2006.
- Crawford Grill put up for sale (2006). [1]. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
- ^ "Crawford Grill". Search for Historical Markers. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=452. "Text from historical marker: A center of Black social life where musicians such as Art Blakey, Mary Lou Williams, John Coltrane drew a racially mixed, international clientele. Here, Crawford Grill # 2, the second of three clubs opened 1943; was owned by William ( Gus) Greenlee, later by Joseph Robinson."
In popular culture
- Referenced in the play Fences by August Wilson
External links
Media related to Crawford Grill at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Pennsylvania state historical marker significations
- Cuisine of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Music venues in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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