Palumbo's was a popular 20th century

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

with

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

entertainment located near the

Italian Market The Italian Market is the popular name for the South 9th Street Curb Market, an area of South Philadelphia featuring awning covered sidewalks, curb carts, grocery shops, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, cheese shops, butcher shops, etc., many with an ...

section of

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west. The format basically was an adaption of the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

of the United Kingdom or

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

in the United States, showcasing live entertainment in a restaurant and saloon setting. It was owned by local celebrity/businessman/humanitarian

Frank Palumbo Frank Palumbo (May 23, 1911 – February 12, 1983) was an American power broker, political boss, entrepreneur and racketeer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known as the owner of Palumbo's, an entertainment complex in South Philadelphia ...

. Amid unsubstantiated rumors of

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

connections, Palumbo expanded a boardinghouse started by his grandfather, Antonio Palumbo into the entertainment complex. Palumbo's was destroyed by fire in 1994 and was determined to be arson. The site, marked by an unofficial historical plaque, is now occupied by a

Rite Aid Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 lis ...

drug store. WTP E03 AMP 1

Entertainment

In the 1940s and 1950s, Philadelphia was an important pop music center, with many bands and singers being made or broken in the city. The 20th Century Club, Ciro's and the opulent, art deco Click Club on Market St. which Frank also owned were significant elements in the music scene. Benny Goodman And His Orchestra with Patti Page and pianist Teddy Wilson performed a Live 1946 radio broadcast for the 'One Night Stand' show at Frank Palumbo's Click Club in Philadelphia. Frequent performers at Palumbo's included

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Sergio Franchi Sergio Franchi (born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Vict ...

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, the Clooney Sisters,

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

and "The Godfathers" l Martino comedians and numerous entertainers. A nightly radio series broadcast concerts from the club, many of which were later released as albums. Well beyond the club's heyday, the restaurant remained popular. Sinatra visited the “black tie saloon” frequently and Mayor

Frank Rizzo Francis Lazarro Rizzo (October 23, 1920 – July 16, 1991) was an American police officer and politician. He served as Philadelphia police commissioner from 1968 to 1971 and mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1980. He was a member of the Democr ...

spent most evenings there during his rise to power, years in office and beyond. The banquet hall became a popular cultural tradition for many social groups, business organizations, family celebrations, and special events that were mostly attracted by the reasonable prices, menu items and entertainment.

References

External links

What were Sinatra's favorite haunts in Philadelphia
Restaurants in Philadelphia History of Philadelphia Defunct restaurants in Philadelphia American culture Nightclubs in the United States 1940 establishments in Pennsylvania {{Restaurants in Philadelphia