The Harlem Alhambra was a theater in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, built in 1905, that began as a vaudeville venue. The building still stands at 2108-2118

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard Seventh Avenue – co-named Fashion Avenue in the Garment District and known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park – is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is sout ...

(7th Avenue) at the South-West corner of 126th Street. The architect was John Bailey McElfatrick (1829–1906) who, based in Manhattan, founded the architectural firm John B. McElfatrick & Son – builder of 100 theaters. Construction on the structure commenced late 1902 by its original owner, Harlem Auditorium Amusement Company.

Design

The original design included specifications for a

rathskeller Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", pl. ''Ratskeller'', historically ''Rathskeller'') is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (''Rathaus'') or nearby. Many taverns, nightclubs, b ...

, which was to be a reproduction of the Brunheil Rathskeller in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, a music hall, a roof garden, and an apartment house. The building is six stories.

Initial opening

The original owners started it in 1903; but it was not completed owing to litigation. At some point during the litigation, the Orpheum Amusement Company, of which

Percy G. Williams Percy Garnett Williams (May 4, 1857 – July 21, 1923) was an American actor who became a travelling medicine salesman, real estate investor, amusement park operator and vaudeville theater owner and manager. He ran the Greater New York Circuit ...

(1857–1923) was president, acquired the property. When Williams opened the theater on May 15, 1905, the seating capacity was reported to be between 1,435 and 1,650. By 1910, Williams managed the largest number of vaudeville theaters in New York City — two in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and one each in Brooklyn and Queens. They initially faced challenges in marketing to the changing Harlem population as they did not want to sell to Blacks, for which they were sanctioned.

Usage

Jazz era

It eventually became a movie venue, including the premiere of '' Blackbirds'', and, in 1929, they expanded and opened a ballroom that hosted performers including

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

. Following a rivalry with the

Savoy Ballroom The Savoy Ballroom was a large ballroom for music and public dancing located at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Lenox Avenue was the main thoroughfare through upper Harle ...

and

Audobon Ballroom The Audubon Theatre and Ballroom, generally referred to as the Audubon Ballroom, was a theatre and ballroom located at 3940 Broadway at West 165th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1912 a ...

, the ballroom closed during the Great Depression.

21st century

The ballroom fell into disrepair in the 1960s, but, after standing empty for the last third of the twentieth century, the Alhambra hosted a 600-person happening and light show by German designer Ingo Maurer on May 22, 2000 called Harlem Nights: A Night at the Alhambra. This attracted new investment, including a bowling alley, and the top floor reopened in 2003 as The Alhambra Ballroom, Inc., hosting weddings, parties, and other social events. Other tenants have included the King Solomon Grand Lodge of New York, Inc. (Masonic), a supermarket, and a jazz restaurant – Gospel Uptown (owned by Joseph H. Holland) – on the ground floor (2009-2010), replacing short-lived seafood restaurant, Pier 2110. The Alhambra Ballroom, Inc. filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York on August 19, 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the events business. In fall 2022 the ballroom space will be home to a French language charter school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harlem Alhambra Buildings and structures completed in 1905 Harlem Movie palaces Former theatres in Manhattan Event venues established in 1905 Jazz clubs in Harlem Defunct jazz clubs in New York City 1905 establishments in New York City