As stated in the last blog entry, my primary reason for the study is to create a narrative that accurately depicts the history of Pennsylvania Ave. After clearly reading and analyzing the information generated by my findings, students should be able to extrapolate multiple reasons for the current state of Pennsylvania Avenue by having the necessary tools to answer questions like.
1) How did these business flourish?
2) What caused them to fail?
3) Who were the key players or investors responsible for fueling the movement?
The Maryland Room at the Enoch Pratt Free Library will be my main source for finding primary documents and other pieces of information about Pennsylvania Avenue. I will also conduct interviews with people that frequented the area in its “Heyday”. I am now in the process of landing an interview with Ike Dixon Jr., former owner of “Ike Dixon’s Comedy Club”. This interview could make or break my study. An interview with him could not only bring a wealth of knowledge and experience about Pennsylvania Avenue, but also the true perspective of an actual business owner during the glory years of the Avenue. Mr. Dixon may even be able to provide me with pictures that libraries and newspaper archives couldn’t dream of getting. I would also like to get his take on the Avenue as it is today.
When most Baltimore Residents think of Pennsylvania Avenue today the first thing that comes to mind is an open-air drug market. Zombie like heroin addicts roam up and down the block all day long in search drugs or money to buy drugs. The historic buildings, which once were popular nightclubs and theaters, are now boarded up, tore down, or abandoned. Those buildings didn’t always look like that.
There once was a time in the mid twentieth century where the bright lights of Pennsylvania Avenue gleamed across the city of Baltimore. Todd Sheridan described it as, “Two miles through the west side of Baltimore City is Pennsylvania Avenue, known as a Mecca to all of the city’s Black citizens. This city street, from the early 1920s to the early 1970s known as “Street of Dreams,” was filled with nightclubs, music, dancing, and gambling. But mainly it was a safe haven so blacks could enjoy Friday and Saturday nights without being harassed by whites. The community was also filled with famous spots such as the Royal Theater, Sphinx Club, and many other shops, movie houses, bars and pool halls. Many famous and unknown black performers visited Pennsylvania Avenue. During those periods business was driven by segregation which led to boycotting on the Avenue. Some areas of the Avenue were more modernized than others and filled with lively entertainment”.[1]
This generalization by Mr. Sheridan is common amongst scholars and former residents alike, but we are going to find out how the Avenue developed into place of Black business. Next week we will start with the 1800’s and the arrival of blacks in West Baltimore.
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