Remembering Pittsburgh's last standing Green Book nightclub
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Terrace Hall Hotel's iconic sign still stands at 2335 Centre Ave. in the Hill District. Photo: Ryan Deto/Axios
It's easy to spot one of the city's last standing Green Book sites: Just look for Terrace Hall Hotel's massive sign.
Why it matters: "The Negro Motorist Green Book" guides printed from 1936 to 1967 listed businesses that Black travelers could safely visit during Jim Crow, an era of legalized segregation and widespread racial violence.
The intrigue: The Hill District — Pittsburgh's most prominent and historic Black neighborhood — had a number of popular Green Book nightclubs like the Crawford Grill and the Hurricane Bar and Lounge, but Terrace Hall Hotel is the only one left standing, said Sam Black, the director of the African American Program at the Heinz History Center.
Zoom out: Fewer than 20% of the sites listed in The Green Book nationwide remain today — a fading link to the past, largely left unpreserved despite their significance in the fight for Black mobility and safety.
Context: Black said Terrace Hall's peak was in the 1950s and '60s, and it was part of a network of Green Book entertainment venues dotting the Hill District.
- Terrace Hall was mostly known for its bar and restaurant, as well as for hosting parties and social events, said Black. The History Center's Green Book exhibit showcased a sign advertising live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays and weekly events at the hall like "Ladies' Nite" and "Birthday Nite."
- By the 1980s, the hall had fallen out of fashion, said Black.
- It's no longer operational nor open to the public.
🏨 Terrace Hall Hotel's large teal-and-red sign can easily be spotted coming around the curve on Centre Avenue, just past the Sunoco gas station.
- "It is a beautiful building, and I can imagine what it was like in its heyday. At the bend of Centre Avenue, that sign can be seen from quite a distance," said Black, who curated a Green Book exhibit for the History Center two years ago.
The latest: Property records show Terrace Hall was last sold in 1982.
What they're saying: Errol "Mobutu" Reynolds, 80, was born and raised in the Hill District and currently runs MOKA Art Gallery & House of Culture on the same block as Terrace Hall. Reynolds played drums with prominent jazz musicians like guitarist Grant Green and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
- He said jazz greats like Pittsburgh's own Mary Lou Williams and George Benson frequented Terrace Hall.
- "A lot of cool cats came through there," Reynolds said. "That was one of the premier spots in the Hill District."
Zoom in: There are other Green Book sites in Pittsburgh, like Webster Hall — now housing for Carnegie Mellon University — on Fifth Avenue in Oakland.
- Scotty's Service Station was a garage listed in the Green Book located on the same block as Terrace Hall, and it is still a functioning tire service center called MTS Mobile Tire Service.
Pro tip: Visit the former hotel located at 2335 Centre Ave. during the day, because the lights on the sign no longer work.
🎩 Fun fact: It was known as the "Aristocrat of the Hill District," according to the "New Negro" directory of 1962.
What's next: The future of Terrace Hall is unclear. Black said he went inside in 2023 as part of research for the exhibit and the decor was the same as in the 1960s.
- Black hopes something can be done to at least bring the sign back to life. "To have that sign restored and the lights replaced on it, I think it would be a nice attraction for the community," he said.