Pyramid Club (Philadelphia)

This article is about the African-American social club in Philadelphia. For the nightclub in New York, see Pyramid Club (New York).
The Pyramid Club
FormationNovember 1937; 87 years ago (1937)
TypePrivate Club
Legal statusPrivate Social Club
PurposeArt gallery, Meeting space
Location
Region served
Philadelphia metropolitan area
Key people
Walter Fitzgerald Jerrick, Lewis Tanner Moore, Humbert Lincoln Howard, and Oscar James Cooper

The Pyramid Club was formed in November 1937 by African-American professionals[1] for the "cultural, civic and social advancement of Negroes in Philadelphia."[2][3] By the 1950s, it was "Philadelphia's leading African-American social club."[4]

Between 1940 and 1957, the club's building at 1517 Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, was a center for social and cultural life. Because African-Americans were barred from many clubs and restaurants, the Pyramid Club had its own bar and restaurant. It hosted parties, social events, concerts by noted musicians such as Marian Anderson and Duke Ellington, speakers including Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Robert Oppenheimer, and an annual art exhibition (1941–1957) featuring both local and national artists.[5][6][2]

The Pyramid Club was the only exhibition space in Philadelphia at the time that was owned, operated and controlled by African-Americans. The club played an important role within the African-American community by connecting artists with middle and upper-class professionals able to support their work.[7]

The Pyramid Club dissolved in 1963.[5][6] It has been commemorated with a historical marker by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.[8]

  1. ^ "Pyramid Club's black arts legacy". Auction Finds. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PAFA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Pyramid Club Purchases Site for Clubhouse". Philadelphia Tribune. February 29, 1940. p. 2.
  4. ^ Booker, Bobbi (11 February 2003). "Pyramid Club was a sign of elite status". Philadelphia Tribune. Philadelphia, PA.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Crimmins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Faye (8 March 2015). "Philadelphia Pyramid Club". All That Philly Jazz. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  7. ^ "Dox Thrash House" (PDF). NOMINATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING, STRUCTURE, SITE, OR OBJECT PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Philadelphia Pyramid Club". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved 14 March 2018.