1936-1960s
10315 E. Marginal Way S.
A popular roadhouse in a pasture near the Duwamish River and often advertised as “a mile south of the Boeing Plant,” the China Pheasant was a Chinese restaurant that offered “set-ups” — glasses and ice — for customers who brought their own liquor. When Harry Lew operated the club in the 1940s it included an elaborate casino and a proper stage and curtain.. Bob Harvey led the house band and a young Red Kelly got his first chance to play the bass in public here, with pianist Johnny Wittwer, but the club often hosted famous touring acts led by the likes of bebop trumpet pioneer Howard McGhee and R&B band leader Johnny Otis. The club sported a rickety back porch that was notorious among musicians as a place to take a break with a marijuana cigarette. In the ’40s, the China Pheasant became a focal point for Seattle’s Dixieland Revival.
Jackson Street After Hours (print only). https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/id/10274/