How the West Lost its Harlem

Amidst the many resurfacing projects the Tenderloin and Fillmore districts have undergone a budding jazz culture once existed. Beginning in the 1930’s jazz clubs began growing both in their popularity and numbers with many popping up in the primarily poor Black neighborhoods of the Fillmore and Tenderloin Districts.

The forced change these neighborhoods have undergone ripped this budding cultural scene out by the roots leaving nearly no trace of the area previously known as “the Harlem of the West”. Amidst the growing culture of the area during the 1940’s there was a dramatic influx of Blacks into the neighborhood resulting in a ten-fold increase between the years of 1940 and 1950. During this time more than 2-dozen Jazz clubs could be found packed into Fillmore Street.

Though popular jazz clubs of the area included the New Orleans Swing Club, Bop City, Plantation Club, Jack’s Tavern of Sutter St, Havana Club, and the Booker T Washington Hotel perhaps none were more popular than the Tenderloin’s Black Hawk Night Club.

“I spent many happy hours there in 1960, listening to Miles, Cal Tjader, and others,” recalls Jon Foley writing in an online forum, ”I still have the smoke and dust in my lungs to prove it! But it was definitely worth it.”

In 1959 at the peak of this cultural wave the Black Hawk found itself able to pay $3,000 for their nightly jazz acts compared to the meager $300 they were able to offer the previous year. During its 14-year-reign as the place to be if you were a part of the scene live recordings were done by the greatest jazz musicians of the day including Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Cal Tjader.

“We thought we'd died and gone to heaven in that dark, smoke-filled room.” Commented Lorraine Jones to an article written on the Black Hawk Night Club.

However, its popularity didn’t save it from the unanimous fate jazz clubs in the area suffered as it was forced to close in 1963, and the building was demolished in the 1980s. The lack of identity and culture in the area may have led to the degradation of the community that has left these neighborhoods where they are today.

Previously the location of the Black Hawk Jazz Club near the corner of Turk and Hyde Streets where there is now a parking lot.

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In an effort to bring back the life lost with the areas musical heritage, the San Francisco Jazz Heritage Center and the Tenderloin Community Benefit District are working to help San Franciscans rediscover the historical significance.

The TCBD is compiling a list of first hand accounts of memories from the Black Hawk to be compiled and published in a historical account of the famous club. They are asking for anyone with an applicable experience get in touch with them via their website. http://www.nom-tlcbd.org/

The Jazz Heritage center has compiled educational material on the areas history, hosts related art showings, plans events to raise public understanding and even has a jazz club called Yoshi’s in their building at the corner of the streets Fillmore and Eddy.

Yoshi's Jazz club- http://sf.yoshis.com/sf/jazzclub