Palumbo's was a popular 20th century

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment 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 Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

with

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

entertainment located near the Italian Market 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."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

. Palumbo's included a banquet hall and Nostalgia's Restaurant. The basic format of the restaurant was an adaptation of the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

of the United Kingdom or

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

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

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 Philadelphi ...

. Amid unsubstantiated rumors of

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

connections, Palumbo expanded a boardinghouse started by his grandfather, Antonio Palumbo into the entertainment complex. Palumbo's was destroyed by fire in 1994. The cause of the fire 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. Prior to its first bankruptcy in 2023, it was the th ...

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. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

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 ...

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

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 Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

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

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 commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) from 1967 to 1971 and mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1980. He wa ...

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

* {{Restaurants in Philadelphia History of Philadelphia Defunct restaurants in Philadelphia Culture of Philadelphia Nightclubs in Philadelphia 1940 establishments in Pennsylvania