1616 Beld Street | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

1616 Beld Street

Architecture and History Inventory
1616 Beld Street | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Tuxedo Tavern
Other Name:Mr. P's
Contributing:
Reference Number:241074
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):1616 Beld Street
County:Dane
City:Madison
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1964
Additions:
Survey Date:2019
Historic Use:tavern/bar
Architectural Style:Twentieth Century Commercial
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect:
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name:Not listed
National Register Listing Date:
State Register Listing Date:
NOTES
Additional Information:City of Madison, Wisconsin Underrepresented Communities Historic Resource Survey Report:

Both Zachery and Maxine Trotter were born in Georgia in 1888. They migrated to Madison in the early twentieth century. In 1928, Zachery Trotter established the first African American owned tavern and nightclub, the Tuxedo Tavern, in a non-extant building at 763 West Washington Avenue in the Triangle portion of the Greenbush neighborhood. The tavern was a popular draw for the racially diverse neighborhood. In 1960, the business was forced to leave, and the building was demolished as a part of the Triangle neighborhood urban renewal efforts.

The African American community’s experience of racial discrimination in real estate applied to commercial properties as well as housing, and the Trotters had difficulty finding a place to relocate their business, obtaining a tavern license, and recovering adequate compensation for relocation from the Madison Redevelopment Authority. A proposed move to 1044 South Park Street was prevented by a petition of residents. Finally, the Tuxedo Tavern re-opened at 1616 Beld Street in the Bram’s Addition neighborhood on the south side of Madison in 1964.

The tavern remained the only African American owned bar and nightclub in the city through the 1960s. The Tuxedo Tavern closed in 1970; after which time, space was occupied by Mr. P’s, a popular restaurant owned and operated by Roger Parks at this location from 1971 to 1998.
Bibliographic References:
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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