Manhattan · NYC landmark
Hotel Cecil and Minton’s Playhouse
206 West 118th Street (aka 150-158 St. Nicholas Avenue, 206-212 West 118th Street) · Manhattan, New York City
Jam sessions inside this former residential hotel helped shape bebop and Harlem’s jazz history.
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NYFE Summary
Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke played in the house band here in the 1940s. Monday-night jam sessions let musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, experiment with new sounds. Those sessions helped shape bebop.
The hotel also appeared in the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide for Black travelers. The former nightclub occupied its ground floor. The rounded brick corner and stone entrance porch can be seen from the street.
NYFE summary from the official history and visitor sources linked below.
Plan a visit
Check the operator’s current opening, admission and access information before travelling. Historic status does not guarantee public access to every interior.
Official visitor information ↗