Excelsior Club

The first step in restoring a jewel in the crown of Charlotte’s African American history. Purchased in January 2020, the Excelsior closed to the public in 2016. Darius plans to redevelop the property and wants to recapture the Excelsior’s legacy as a center of Black social and political activity. An exclusive, membership-only nightclub, the Excelsior Club was founded in 1944 by Jimmie McKee. It was the leading private black social club for many years, catering to Charlotte’s black professional middle-class: doctors, lawyers, educators, ministers, businessmen, and political leaders.

Major remodeling and expansion of the facility in 1952 created the Club’s famous streamlined Art Deco exterior, along with the addition of ballrooms that could accommodate 300 people. In its heyday, the Club was listed in the famous “Green Book” for African-American motorists, and President Bill Clinton made the Club a campaign stop during his presidential run in 1992.

By 2019, the property was named one of the nation’s 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is more than a music hall. It’s a physical acknowledgment of history and has felt like home away from home in the hearts of many. A place to come together, Excelsior has served as a center for politics, a space to plan the protest, a space for movers and shakers. Standing room-only crowds have infiltrated the club to see internationally known Black musicians such as Nat “King” Cole, Louis Armstrong, James Brown, and Sam Cooke.

To ensure it will serve future generations, Kenwood Investments purchased the Club property in January 2020. Kenwood Investments intends to restore the Club to its historic place in Charlotte and will build what CEO Darius Anderson called a “dream team” of Black architects to develop concepts for the remodeling of the existing Excelsior Club facilities. That will include the design of a boutique hotel to be constructed on the property.