OVERTOWN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHAPING UP WITH ADDITION OF HARLEM SQUARE’S SUPPER CLUB/ LOUNGE
On March 29, the SEOPWCRA Board of Commissioners approved a $975,000 grant for the construction of the Harlem Square Supper Club and Lounge to be located at 173 N.W. 11th Street, within the designated Overtown Entertainment District. The proposed supper club will consist of a three-story...
On March 29, the SEOPWCRA Board of Commissioners approved a $975,000 grant for the construction of the Harlem Square Supper Club and Lounge to be located at 173 N.W. 11th Street, within the designated Overtown Entertainment District.
The proposed supper club will consist of a three-story modern and trendy lounge of which the first floor will consist of a jazz lounge, the second floor a cigar bar, and the third floor a rooftop lounge for special events. The construction of “Harlem Square” is the second project behind the Marcus Samuelson’s Development Group restaurant slated for the Overtown Entertainment District. The supper club owned by Samuelson, the celebrity chef who runs the popular Red Rooster in Harlem, is expected to open by the end of the year. “In furtherance of the SEOPWCRA’s goal to establish Overtown as a cultural and entertainment destination, the Overtown Entertainment District would allow nightclubs, supper clubs and bar uses in close proximity to each other to benefit from one another,” said Cornelius Shiver, SEOPWCRA Executive Director.
The future plans for the Overtown Entertainment District, sometimes referred to as the “Folk life Village” seeks to regain the glory days of Overtown when there were several culturally significant African American landmarks in the community. The 9th Street Pedestrian Mall, the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater, the Ward Rooming House, the Lawson E. Thomas Law Office, the former Clyde Killen’s Pool Hall and the Josephine and Dunn Hotels are recognized cultural landmarks that will play a significant role in the development of the Overtown Entertainment District.
During the same meeting, the SEOPWCRA Board approved a $ 215,800 grant to J.E.J. Properties, Inc. to complete the rehabilitation of The Josephine and Dunn Hotel, to be converted to a Bed and Breakfast establishment. The boutique Bed and Breakfast will allow guests to experience the cultural assets of the historic neighborhood.
The two buildings are located in Overtown at 1028 NW 3rd Avenue. The Josephine Hotel was originally built in 1938 and the Dunn Hotel was built in 1947; during the time when Overtown was home to some of the first class black-owned hotels such as the Mary Elizabeth, the Sir John and the Carver. The rooms in the Bed and Breakfast will showcase national artist from the Harlem Renaissance such as: Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Aretha Franklin, all of whom came to lodge in Overtown after performing in nearby Miami Beach back in the segregation era. The Josephine and Dunn Hotel is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2018.
“The revival of Overtown is a journey of redevelopment, preservation, and community perseverance, ” said Miami City Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon who also serves as the Chairman of the SEOPWCRA, “The efforts put forth by the SEOPWCRA strive to not only preserve the culture of Overtown, but to share this culture with neighbors and tourists alike.”
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