The South Side's Gilded Gateway
In the early 1900s, at the corner of 27th and State Streets in Chicago, stood a building that would change the trajectory of American music forever. The Pekin Inn (later the Pekin Theater) was the brainchild of Robert T. Motts, a visionary entrepreneur who transformed a former saloon into the nation's first Black-owned and operated high-class theater. While the global headlines of the era were focused on the brewing tensions in Europe, the hyper-local reality of Chicago's South Side was the birth of the 'Black Metropolis' or Bronzeville. The Pekin was its crown jewel, a place where the air was thick with the scent of expensive cigars and the revolutionary sounds of early jazz.
Robert T. Motts: The Architect of Dreams
Robert Motts was not just a businessman; he was a cultural architect. Born in Iowa and moving to Chicago in the 1880s, Motts saw the potential for a venue that catered to the burgeoning Black middle class. In 1904, he obtained a theater license—no small feat for a Black man at the time—and began a lavish renovation. The interior was a marvel of the era, featuring mirrored walls, velvet curtains, and an elaborate stage designed for the transition from vaudeville to musical comedy. The Chicago Defender, the legendary Black newspaper, frequently touted the Pekin as a symbol of racial pride and institutional success.
The Sound of the Stroll
The area surrounding the Pekin became known as 'The Stroll,' a vibrant stretch of State Street that served as the heartbeat of Chicago's nightlife. It was here that the transition from ragtime to jazz occurred. The Pekin hosted a resident orchestra that experimented with syncopation in ways that white audiences had yet to hear. Musicians like Wilbur Sweatman, a virtuoso clarinetist who could play three instruments at once, paved the way for the likes of Joe 'King' Oliver and a young Louis Armstrong. The 'Chicago Stomp,' a rhythmic, driving style of jazz, was refined within these walls, influenced by the mechanical sounds of the city's industry and the soulful traditions brought by the Great Migration.
Notable Residents and Performers of The Stroll
- Wilbur Sweatman: A pioneer of the jazz clarinet who performed at the Pekin in 1906.
- Jelly Roll Morton: Often spotted in the Pekin's cafe, allegedly refining his 'Red Hot Peppers' sound.
- Charles 'Doc' Cooke: A sophisticated arranger who brought classical structure to the Pekin's pit orchestra.
- Tony Jackson: The pianist and composer of 'Pretty Baby' who was a regular fixture in the neighborhood's cabarets.
The Architecture of a Cultural Movement
The Pekin Inn was more than a stage; it was a multi-functional complex. It housed a cafe, a gambling room (discreetly tucked away), and even political offices. Motts was deeply involved in local politics, using the Pekin as a base for the 'Appomattox Club,' a political organization for Black Republicans. This intersection of entertainment and political power was unique to the Chicago experience. The building's architecture—a mix of Victorian embellishment and modern utility—reflected this dual purpose. It was a space where a laborer from the stockyards could, for a few cents, witness the same high-level artistry as a wealthy merchant.
“At the Pekin, the music didn't just play; it spoke. It told the story of a people who were moving north to find a new rhythm.” — Oral history from a 1920s Bronzeville resident.
From Vaudeville to the Blues: A Shifting Stage
As the 1910s turned into the 1920s, the Pekin faced increasing pressure from both the law and the competition. The Prohibition era brought a wave of police raids, many of which were racially motivated attempts to stifle the independence of Black-owned businesses. Obscure police blotters from 1912 reveal numerous 'disturbance of the peace' charges leveled against the Pekin, often just for the volume of the music. After Motts' death in 1911, the venue struggled under new management and eventually transitioned into a police station—a bitter irony for a site that had once been a bastion of freedom.
The Legacy of the Pekin
Today, the physical structure of the Pekin is gone, replaced by the urban shifts of the mid-20th century, but its ghost lingers in every jazz club in the world. The concept of the 'cabaret' as a place for social experimentation and musical innovation started here. For the history buff, the story of the Pekin Inn is a daily dose of 'news' from a century ago that remains startlingly relevant. It reminds us that the cultural movements we take for granted were once hyper-local struggles for space, recognition, and the right to play a new kind of song in the dead of night. By uncovering the lore of 'The Stroll,' we don't just study history; we inhabit a vanished world of elegance and rhythm.
