St. Petersburg’s Manhattan Casino was re-dedicated Saturday morning, 101 years after its construction, with speeches, a ribbon cutting, live music and a bold new work from the city’s Poet Laureate, Denzel Johnson-Green.
His words captured the relevance and importance of the Manhattan Casino to St. Pete’s African American community during its heyday in the 1940s and ‘50s:
and on hot nights when there is no reprieve
and when work is done and school is over
you can hear it like evening cicadas
it is the distant marigold, the sound of trumpets so bold
and brass and drums that give you heart palpitations, supreme strings
and a piano’s plinky keys … and as you get closer, voices cut through the humidity
Built by businessman Elder Jordan, the venue originally known as the Jordan Dance Hall featured live dance music on weekends, and gospel on Sundays.
It was also the center of activity for proms, graduations, pageants, parties and conferences.
Saturday’s event introduced the City of St. Petersburg’s $4.8 million remodel of the two-story, 12,000-square-foot structure at 642 22nd Street S. as a rentable event space.
In the 20th century, the upstairs room resonated with the sounds of Louis Armstrong (he and his band played there on three separate occasions), the Count Basie Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Little Richard, Etta James, Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Otis Redding. Among others.
The Manhattan Casino also had a house band, and jazz and swing groups from other parts of the country performed frequently for community dances.
It closed in 1968, and although numerous attempts were made to remodel and revitalize the venue, nothing worked out.
Mayor Ken Welch, who was among the speakers at Saturday’s ceremony, told the Catalyst that the 2026 project – putting an affordable event space in the Deuces neighborhood, on the city’s south side – is an idea whose time has come.
“People need to understand that this is not a restaurant,” Welch said. “This is a totally different model. It’s a community event space that can serve so many constituencies. I think that’s the right model at the right time.”
The “new” Manhattan Casino, he added, “is going to be an anchor for the development of The Dueces and the [nearby] Warehouse Arts District.” He cited the numerous affordable homes, and apartment and townhome complexes in the area, that are either brand-new or are under construction.
Along with the Mayor and the Poet Laureate, Saturday’s speakers included Rev. Dr. Kenneth Irby, City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd, State Senator Daryl Rouson and Celeste Davis, the City’s Director of Arts, Culture and Tourism.
“History does matter, St. Pete,” Welch said from the podium. “And so, after four years of renovations, we get to open these doors once again, and begin a new chapter for the Manhattan Casino.”
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
