The Graystone International Jazz Museum: A Brief History

Abstract

The Graystone Ballroom, once billed as “Detroit’s Million Dollar Ballroom,” was one of the most popular ballrooms in the nation in the 1920s and early 1930s. Located at Woodward and Canfield, the Graystone was the city’s largest ballroom, handling up to 3,000 patrons on its dance floors and balconies.1 The building was designed in a neoGothic style by renowned architect Rupert W. Koch, though the space was originally intended for a large restaurant called “The Chinese Gardens.” After the original owners pulled out in 1922 jazz bandleader Jean Goldkette, along with Charles Horvath, stepped in and turned the building into a ballroom. Covered in polished gray terra cotta, the original plan called for ten stories though it ultimately stood at just half that. In 1928 an adjacent space called Graystone Gardens opened, allowing patrons to enjoy entertainment outside of the venue. In keeping with its reputation as the most popular dance spot in the city, the Graystone commanded a stellar musical lineup. Nearly every popular jazz musician of the era performed there: Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and a host of other jazz greats. At one point the ballroom’s house band featured legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, and both Goldkette’s Orchestra and the predominantly African American McKinney’s Cotton Pickers became nationally renowned while playing at the Graystone.2 Although African American bands performed at the Graystone the institution was largely segregated, as were most major entertainment venues during this era. The Graystone, like other ballrooms, had theme nights: Wednesdays were “Boy Meets Girl Night” and Monday nights catered to African American audiences. The Monday night dances at the