1940s
660 S. Jackson St.
A classic Prohibition Era “blind,” the Congo Club had a circular bar and ballroom hidden behind a swinging door at the back of a spacious, well-lit restaurant called the Congo Grill. Johnny Reddin, a columnist at the Seattle Times who knew the nightlife scene, said it was his favorite place to eat in the district. Palmer Johnson took a band into the Congo with trumpeter Herman Grimes. Dixieland aficionado Bob Graf, who delivered milk to the club every morning, said the Congo in its heyday had “the biggest action” of all the clubs in the early ’40s.
Jackson Street After Hours (print only). No known online links.