Once upon a time, West 133rd Street was the place to be. Today, it is a quiet street in central Harlem. But its past is full of jazz and nightlife. This is the story of West 133rd Street.
West 133rd Street runs through Manhattan and the Bronx. In Harlem, it stretches from Riverside Drive to Convent Avenue. It then resumes on the eastern side, going from Seventh Avenue to Lenox Avenue. In the Bronx neighborhood of Port Morris, it runs from Bruckner Boulevard to Locust Avenue.
The most exciting part of West 133rd Street was between Lenox and Seventh Avenues. This block was once known as “Swing Street”. It was full of cabarets and jazz clubs. Speakeasies thrived here during Prohibition.
During the Prohibition era, West 133rd Street gained notoriety. Many illegal bars operated here. It also became known as “Jungle Alley”. This was due to interracial mingling.
The Jazz Age saw at least 20 jazz clubs pop up on West 133rd Street. These clubs were mostly between Lenox and Seventh Avenues. A young Billie Holiday was discovered here at age 17. She considered 133rd Street the original Swing Street. It played a big role in the development of African-American entertainment and jazz.
The Nest Club was a key spot. It opened in 1923 at 169 West 133rd Street. Melville Frazier and John Carey leased the building. They opened the Barbecue Club on the main floor. The Nest was downstairs. Jazz historian Frank Driggs said it had a “Chicago gangland atmosphere”.
Other famous nightclubs included Tillie’s Chicken Shack. It was known for torch singer Elmira. Bank’s Club was another hot spot. Harry Hansberry’s Clam House at 146 W. 133rd St. was a notorious LGBT speakeasy. It featured Gladys Bentley in a tuxedo singing risque songs. The Catagonia Club, better known as Pod’s and Jerry’s, featured jazz pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith.
West 133rd Street lost its appeal after Prohibition ended in 1933. The Harlem Riot of 1935 damaged its reputation as a racial safe haven. Most interracial clubs closed. Pod’s and Jerry’s became The Log Cabin in 1933. It stayed open until around 1948 or 1949. By then, 52nd Street had become the new Swing Street. Racial violence erupted again at 133rd Street and Seventh Avenue during the Harlem Riot of 1964.
Today, West 133rd Street has several landmarks. The New York Post has a printing center here. The Terence D. Tolbert Educational Complex and Roberto Clemente School are on the western side. You can also find the KIPP Infinity Charter School and the Manhattanville Bus Depot. The New York Structural Biology Center is at 89 Convent Avenue. On the eastern side, you’ll find Bethlehem Moriah Baptist Church. Bill’s Place is a jazz club opened in 2006 by Bill Saxton. It is in the former Tillie’s Chicken Shack. Bishop R.C. Lawson once had a Bible bookstore on 133rd Street.
Langston Hughes saw West 133rd Street as a symbol of freedom and happiness. In his poem “Not a Movie,” he depicts it as a destination for African Americans escaping the South. Billie Holiday said that “133rd St. was the real swing street”.
Though Swing Street is gone, its spirit lives on. West 133rd Street may be quieter now. But its history as a center of jazz and culture remains vibrant.