SOME OLD NIGHT CLUBS IN KNOXVILLE

compiled by Ron Allen

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Listed below are some of the night clubs that were in Knoxville until around 1950. The dates shown are from the listings in Knoxville city directories for those years. Many of these clubs may have been in operation in earlier and later years.

BILFAY CLUB. A night club, located on Asheville Highway in 1941.

BROWN DERBY. A Night club, for dining and dancing. Located on Kingston Pike, 'four miles from the city limits, in the 1930;s and 1940's.

CENTURY HALL / CENTRAL STREET DANCE HALL . A night club and dance hall in the early twentieth century, also called the Central Street Dance Hall, located at the corner of Central and Commerce. Located in the Bowery section, where criminal elements and prostitution were prevalent at the time, the hall was apparently short lived. On January 11, 1906, the hall was closed by city authorities, when W.A. Mathis, a member of the Logan Temple A.M.E. Church, was wounded from a gunshot that came from Century Hall. That church was located on the south side of Commerce, just up the hill from the hall.

CLUB CARIOCA. A night club for African Americans, listed at 204 South Gay Street in the 1940 city directory. The club This was located on the second floor, east side of Gay, just north of Vine Street. That building no longer exists today, nor do any of the other buildings that stood on the east side of Gay between Vine and Commerce.

CLUB NITENGALE. A night club located at the junction of Old Central Avenue pike and Dry Gap Pike.

Club 509. A night club located at 509 West Clinch Avenue in the 1940's.

EMBASSY SUPPER CLUB. A night club, with nightly entertainment and dancing, located on Clinton Highway, near the Anderson County line, in 1950.

THE FIRESIDE. A night club located on Chapman Highway in 1942.

FLAMINGO CLUB. A Night club for African Americans, located at 330 Texas Avenue in 1948.

FROLICS INN. A night club located two miles north of Fountain City in the 1940's.

GRAY TAVERN. A night club located on Clinton Highway, five miles from the city limits.

HIGHLAND'S GRILL. A night Club located at 3800 Kingston Pike, in the late 1930's and 1940's.

NEAL'S SAVOY CLUB. An African American night club, located at 220 University Avenue, in the early 1940's. However, this obviously was more than merely a night club, since newspaper advertisements reveal that such activities as boxing matches and basketball games were held at the facility.

NEVENTYN PLAZA. An African American night club, located in 1940 at 105 west Vine Avenue, The club was located upstairs, on the north side of Vine, between Central and State.

PARADISE CLUB. A Night club located on Alcoa Highway, opened in the 1940's

R. CLUB. An African American night club located at 1015 East Clinch in 1928.

ROARING 40'S CLUB. A night club, listed in the 1948 city directory, located on Clinton Highway (then called the "New Clinton Highway").

RONDEVOO CLUB. A night club and dance hall located at the rear of 600 Texas Avenue, located in the predominately African American section of Lonsdale. Originally opened as the Whopee Dance Hall in 1938, then renamed the Ski High Club, before being called the Rondevoo Club. The club was still in operation in the late 1940's.

SEVEN SEAS CLUB. A night club located at 3118 West Cumberland in the 1940's.

SKY HIGH CLUB. A night club and dance hall, located at the rear of 600 Texas Avenue, at the corner of Coster. Originally opened in 1938 as the Whopee Dance Hall, then renamed the Rondevoo Club by 1943.

SOUTHLAND. A night club located on Alcoa Highway.

TORCH CLUB. A night club located on Rutledge Pike. Shown in city directories as being located "where Rutledge Pike continues McCalla eastward" in the 1930's.

THE TROCADERO. A night club located on the "New Clinton Highway" in 1948. The word "New" was used at the time to differentiate this from the original Clinton Road, which previously had been a combination of what today is Western Avenue to the intersection of Pleasant Ridge Road, then continuing along that road northward to around the Airplane gas station, where it continued to the north.

THE TROCADERO. Another night club was briefly also called the Trocadero. The Whittles Springs Supper Club, located at the Whittles Springs Hotel, is listed in the 1938 city directory as the Trocadero. The club was again listed only under its original name in later directories.

WAYSIDE INN. A night Club located at 4300 Kingston Pike, in Bearden, in the 1940's.

WHITTLE SPRINGS SUPPER CLUB. A popular night club and dance facility, located at the Whittle Springs Hotel in North Knoxville.

WHOPEE DANCE HALL. A night club and dance hall located at the rear of 600 West Texas Avenue. Opened in 1938. The name was later changed to the Ski Hi Club, then still later changed to the Rondevoo Club.

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