Joe’s Palm Room, the iconic Black-Owned club in Louisville, Kentucky, closed its doors in the early 2000s after its owner Joe Hammond— an influential Black businessman in the city— passed away.
In 2020 the Jefferson Street property housed a club called the Palm Room Lounge, the owner, Marcus Withers, didn’t have the rights to attach Joe Hammond’s name to it.
Fast-forward to December 2021.
The club has reopened under its original name, marking the comeback of this iconic Black-owned club in Louisville. Donnie Adkins, owner of Club Cedar, said he and three other businessmen have purchased the building at 1821 W. Jefferson St.
Originally opened in 1954, Joe’s Palm Room was known for attracting entrepreneurs, actors, musicians, politicians and anyone who wanted to be part of this dynamic community.
“On any given evening, one could run into Artis Gilmore, Redd Foxx, Joe Louis, Dizzy Gillespie, Richard Pryor, Muhammad Ali and other colorful characters, which also including the locals,” the Joe Hammond Project states on its website.
Now, the owners are working to retain the club’s reputation.
In an interview with LEO Weekly, Adkins says that the runup to the reopening was “a Herculean effort to get everything togethe, while trying to live up to what we think the hype should be.”
The renovated club is decorated with artwork of notable artists, and the seating is more open than it was before.
“But, the club owners’ mission now is not only to bring in customers but also to make the community aware that the club is back and operating as Joe Hammond would have wanted,” Adkins told LEO Weekly
Joe’s Palm Room is located at 1821 W. Jefferson St., and it opens at 4pm Thursday through Sunday.
