 Wonder Bar, 1940 | |
  Wonder Gardens Location in Atlantic City | |
| Former names | Wonder Bar |
|---|---|
| Address | 1601 Arctic Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey United States |
| Coordinates | 39°21′44″N 74°25′54″W / 39.36222°N 74.43167°W |
| Owner | Charles Randall, B.B. King |
| Type | Nightclub |
| Opened | c. 1929 |
| Closed | 2001 |
Wonder Gardens (also known as Wonder Bar) was a jazz and R&B nightclub at 1601 Arctic Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Established around 1929, it was one of four black-owned nightclubs in the black entertainment district on Kentucky Avenue. Between the Wonder Gardens, Club Harlem, the Paradise Club, and Grace's Little Belmont, the music played all night and into the morning in the district's heyday in the 1940s through 1960s. Presenting both popular jazz musicians and new talent, the Wonder Gardens provided early exposure for Dan Fogel, Harvey Mason, George Benson, and the Commodores. Over the years, the music changed from jazz to rock, soul, and pop music.[1] In 1979 the club was renovated, redecorated and renamed the Latin Wonder Gardens, featuring live Afro-Cuban musical entertainment. In 1991 it underwent a second renovation and name change to the New Wonder Gardens, featuring Latin, jazz, R&B, hiphop, and reggae acts. The club was sold in 2001 and was later demolished.