The Panther Room of The College Inn, Hotel Sherman Chicago 1939
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In the 1920s, entertainment at the Hotel Sherman in Chicago consisted of genteel string orchestras playing waltzes for guests. American band leader and saxophonist Isham Jones shook up this tradition by playing jazz-oriented music that originated in African American communities and developed from roots in blues and ragtime.
However, the hotel was not racially integrated. Jones fronted an all-white jazz orchestra, and black musicians were barred from playing there.
(During the 1930s and 1940s, the South Side of Chicago - specifically the Bronzeville neighborhood - was a bustling destination where Black and white patrons mixed freely in jazz clubs and dance halls, defying strict segregation laws.)
During the 1940s, the policy changed in the Sherman’s renowned College Inn restaurant and its Panther Room, a 1,000- seat nightclub known for its flamboyant decor featuring bamboo, palm leaves, leopard-print fabrics, and chefs serving flaming meats on swords.
The Panther Room in particular drew integrated crowds and was described as ‘a hotbed of big band music' and featured performers such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie and their orchestras.
Jazz pianist Fats Waller was a regular during this era, along with ‘King of the Swing’ Glenn Miller. Other notable performers were Frank Sinatra (making his Chicago debut) and Muggsy Spanier and his Ragtimers.
The Hotel Sherman’s origins date back to 1837, and the property underwent several iterations until, with 1600 guest rooms and extensive banqueting facilities, it became the biggest hotel outside of New York City, standing at the northwest corner of Randolph Street and Clark Street.
The hotel closed in 1973 and was demolished in 1980.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.
All printed in USA.
