The Line
The history of Little Rock’s West 9th Street
During and after Reconstruction, newly freed southern blacks gathered from around Arkansas to Little Rock. At the time, the capital city was considered a progressive southern town. Because the city’s white residents were less financially reliant on the former slave industry than their rural counterparts, they were more tolerant of the black men and women now owed a salary for their labor.
A place called Blissville
At the turn of the century, the area around present-day West 9th Street was known as “Blissville.” The small community, established initially with shacks and shanties, quickly grew into a brick-and-mortar business district. Although this area was primarily known for black residence and businesses, Little Rock was considered a “salt and pepper city.” In the late 19th century through the early 20th century, Jim Crow laws were established but not as pervasive as they would become in the upcoming decades. At that time, demographics were more geographically interwoven than they are even today.
A Walk Down The Line
As the 20th century progressed, segregation laws became more and more restrictive and West 9th Street officially became the African American business district for Little Rock, AR. The street would eventually adopt the nickname “The Line,” as it marked the primary border between the black and white parts of the city. Businesses along The Line varied greatly but were primarily made up of service and entertainment industry professionals. Even though black Americans were technically free to pursue any career, whites still held most of the wealth in the United States and as such mandated the types of occupations African Americans could successfully operate. This would establish the types of businesses blacks owned for years to come.
Pharmacies Florish
Most successful individuals on West 9th Street owned barber shops and beauty salons, restaurants, cleaning services, juke joints, and clubs. Many Black Americans were often restricted to these industries. But not all, of course. Plenty of professionals occupied office space on West 9th Street as well; doctors, dentist, lawyers, and the like. These professions provided expensive services that required a great deal of knowledge to execute properly. Since the black community did not have the income or support systems in place, these professionals would regularly bankroll their practices or firms personally, until they could not. Unfortunately, these professions were often short lived. Surprisingly, pharmacists seemed immune to this trend. Almost every block of West 9th Street had its own pharmacy.
The Fraternity of Community
The African American community of West 9th Street thrived in large part due to the fraternity groups that acted as mutual aid organizations. These groups supported medical care, life rights, community organization, and kept black communities all over the country from buckling under the systemic issues that held them at a disadvantage. The Taborian Hall was built by one such organization.
Next week, I will talk about the Knights and Daughters of Tabor and the history of Taborian Hall (the historic building that houses the Dreamland Ballroom). If you would like to walk through this history with your own two feet, we will be starting out regular tours again, Saturday February 27th at 1 PM. See you then!!
To be a part of the preservation of the last original building on Little Rock’s historic West 9th Street, please donate at Dreamland.org.
If you can’t make it to an in-person tour, walk through 9th ST with this new map from the CALS Library of AR History & Art.
Keep Dreaming,
Matthew McCoy
Taborian
Hall
History of Taborian Hall-An African American Achievement
In 1916, the fraternal organization The Order of Twelve, the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, began building the Taborian Hall to serve as their international headquarters. The building was entirely funded and erected by the black community in Arkansas.
Taborian’s spacious design made it an invaluable multi-use building on 9th Street. In addition to the headquarters for the Tabors, it offered room for community organizing, entertainment, retail businesses, and professional office space. As one of the two largest buildings on 9th Street, Taborian was hugely significant in the functionality and growth of the African American commercial district in the early 20th century. The street became known as ‘The Line,’ filled with Black owned businesses and professionals.
The Effect of the Great Depression
The Great Depression put a financial strain on the residents and business owners on and around 9th Street. Regular dues to the Knights of Tabor dropped considerably and the organization was forced to relinquish many of their assets, including Taborian Hall. During the 1930s and early ‘40s, the building’s ownership is hard to track. Businesses still ran in Taborian, but we do not see the buildings ownership unified again until World War II.
WWII brings Soldiers to Ninth Street
In 1942, America was fully entrenched in the war effort and young officers were training at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, many of whom were African American. Segregation laws mandated that when they left their camp, they patronized specific business in restricted areas. For many, that meant crossing the Arkansas River to 9th Street in downtown Little Rock. Ninth Street had a reputation as an entertainment district, making it more enticing than the other black district, North Little Rock’s Washington Ave. At the height of the war, Camp Robinson supported tens of thousands of trainees at any given time and the nightly influx of these young men to 9th Street was both beneficial and stressful to the locals of ‘The Line.’
To help contain this flood of soldiers, the Ninth Street United States Officers Club was opened in Taborian Hall in January of 1942 and was an instant hit.
“The USO Club is located in the New Dreamland,” the State Press reported, “and occupies five rooms of the second floor, including the Lounge which is used for the Soldier’s Lounge and for small parties. Other rooms are used as game rooms, reading rooms, and offices, etc.”
The End of an Era
After the end of WWII, the USO sold Taborian Hall. From this point on, it does not seem to have a singular owner. The building’s title became muddier and muddier. Many businesses, professionals, and private clubs operated out of the building. Sharper W. Tucker owned several businesses on 9th Street. His promotion company, Tucker’s Promotions, operated out of Taborian for years. After his death in 1948, management continued under his partner until 1960. Private clubs like the Bronze League and the Twin City Club occupied the building from the 1950s through the late ‘70s. Gem’s Pharmacy operated out of the southeast corner of the building from the late 1920s to the 1960s. Many lawyers, dentists, and doctors held offices on the second floor throughout Taborian most active years. The last tenant in Taborian is the Twin City Club, vacating the basement in about 1979.
A New Beginning
In 1982, the building is put on the National Register of Historic Places with its sister building, Mosaic Templars. Kerry McCoy bought Taborian in 1991 for her business. Presently the building houses the Dreamland Ballroom on its third floor and the offices and facilities for Kerry McCoy Enterprises including FlagandBanner.com, OurCornerMarket.com, Brave Magazine and Up In Your Business Radio Show.
To ensure this wonderful piece of history never again falls into disrepair, donate here.
Next week, we’ll dive deeper into Taborian’s most iconic feature, the Dreamland Ballroom. Don’t forget about our tour on Saturday, February 27th.
Keep Dreaming,
Matthew McCoy
Dreamland
Ballroom
The Dreamland Ballroom is the crown that tops the majestic Taborian Hall. Located on the third floor, the Ballroom has been known by a few different names and has had the occasional ‘facelift’ through the years, remaining the seminal venue on 9th Street until the early 1970s. The list of performers https://www.dreamlandballroom.org/historical-significance featured in Dreamland over the years is certainly the most impressive aspect of its history. However, the lovely spacious room was more than a music hall to the community on The Line.
A Big Space for Big Ideas
When the Knights of Tabor built Taborian, Dreamland was used for their international and regional meetings. Other local entities, like Philander Smith College and the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP, used the space for an auditorium and meeting room for community organizations.
A Big Stage for Big Talent
The Chitlin’ Circuit was a chain of venues known to black performers and promoters. The Circuit ran throughout the southern United States and provided a reasonably safe route for traveling black entertainers. Little Rock’s 9Th Street was Arkansas’ only stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit and Dreamland was the venue.
A Big Promoter for Big Productions
It is impossible to think about Dreamland’s legendary retinue of performers without mentioning Sharper W. Tucker and his protégé Buck Allen. In the 1920s, Sharper Tucker opened his talent booking company. By the mid-1930s, Tucker Promotions began running ads featuring the Dreamland Ballroom in the State Press (the local black-owned and operated newspaper). The ballroom’s official title was the Aristocrat Club during these years.
When the ballroom was controlled by the USO during WWII, Tucker began booking talent primarily at the Robinson Auditorium. When the war ended and the USO moved out of Taborian Hall, Tucker Promotions brought entertainers back to the ballroom. This time opening as the Morocco Club, Tucker booked Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie as the premier performance. Not long after his influence was reintroduced to the Dreamland stage, Tucker’s health began failing and Buck Allen began to take over. Tucker died in 1948 but Allen continued to run the Morocco Club through the 1950s and ‘60s. With the help of a local radio personality and music man Al Allen, Buck guided Dreamland through some of its most iconic performances.
A Big Decline for Big Dances
By the 1970s, the only tenants in the building occupied the bottom two floors and the basement level. The Morocco Club was out of business and nothing moved in to take its place. The ballroom remained underutilized until 2012. That year the Friends of Dreamland hosted its first fundraiser to renovate and preserve the space. Currently, Dreamland is being updated to meet modern code compliance that will enable it to be used as a public venue again.
To learn more about the incredible African American heritage that was present on 9th St, visit us on February 27th for a tour of the Taborian Hall and Dreamland Ballroom historic site. To donate to the continued preservation and celebration of this history, visit our website.
Keep Dreaming, Matthew McCoy