by Vivian Filer, Executive Director, Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center
Historical markers, also known as commemorative plaques, are important because they educate, commemorate, and create community history by sharing stories of significant places, people, and events in a tangible way.
Erecting historical markers is also a crucial step in helping to tell a more complete story of our nation’s history as individuals and communities petition states to honor many omitted by traditional history books. The more than 195,000 historical markers in the United States today offer a glimpse into the past, marking a moment or place of significance worth remembering. The historic Cotton Club building, located at 837 S. E. 7th Avenue here in Gainesville, is such a place.
The Board of Directors of the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center (CCMC) will unveil a State of Florida Historic Marker at the Cotton Club building on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. This opportunity to establish the significance of the structure that houses the museum is a great milestone for the governing board, the City of Gainesville, Alachua County, and North Central Florida.
The Cotton Club building, constructed in the early 1940s, has served several purposes. The first was during World War II at Camp Blanding in Starke, Florida. There the building served as the Post Exchange (PX), a gathering place for the soldiers. There they socialized, called home, and purchased snacks and personal items.
Once the war ended, the building was purchased and brought to Gainesville’s Springhill community where it housed a movie theater known as the Perry Theater.
After that, it became the Cotton Club, a big bands club named for the Cotton Club in Harlem. During those years, it was major entertainment spot for Blacks in Gainesville and surrounding communities. The Cotton Club hosted several entertainers who went on to become famous, including B. B. King and Bo Diddley.
Following the closure of the Cotton Club, the Blue Note Club was operated in the building before it was used as the Badcock Furniture warehouse. In 2019 the building officially opened as the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center.
The CCMCC Board of Directors applied for and received historic status for the Cotton Club building from the State of Florida in 2019. The designation was granted based on the criteria stated here:
“To qualify as a Florida Heritage Landmark a building, structure or site must be at least 50 years old and have regional or statewide significance in the areas of architecture, archaeology, Florida history or traditional culture, or be associated with an event of statewide or national significance that took place at least 50 years ago.”
The placement of the marker serves as a reminder of the building’s historic significance but it is also a symbol of our commitment to continuing the legacy.
The public is invited to participate in this once in a lifetime event that establishes the building’s permanence as a historic site.
Sunday, Sept. 8, 4 p.m.
Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center
837 SE 7th Ave.
Gainesville, FL 32601