Now abandoned, this nightclub was once the biggest gathering spot for Charlotte’s Black community

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The birth of Charlotte’s Excelsior Club came when its founder, James Robert McKee, was working as a head mail clerk in 1939. McKee also tended bar at various restaurants in the Queen City. That experience helped McKee hatch the idea to open Charlotte’s first nightclub for African Americans. In 1944, McKee realized his dream when Excelsior Club opened its doors to guests.

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