- Victory Grill
Infobox_nrhp | name = Victory Grill
caption = The Victory Grill in 2007
location = 1104 E. 11th StAustin, Texas , USA
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 30
lat_minutes = 16
lat_seconds = 09
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 97
long_minutes = 43
long_seconds = 43
long_direction = W
built =
added =October 16 ,1998
refnum=98001226
governing_body =Victory Grill is a historic music venue located at 1104 E. 11th St,
Austin, Texas . Thenightclub was on the Chitlin' Circuit and hosted famousAfrican-American acts such asBobby Bland ,Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown ,W. C. Clark andB. B. King during the age ofracial segregation in the United States . Victory Grill was added to theNational Register of Historic Places onOctober 16 ,1998 .History
Johnny Holmes, a booking agent and band manager, opened the Victory Grill on
Victory over Japan Day , 1945 as arestaurant and bar for blacksoldier s returning from the war. In the segregated south of the 1940's, these servicemen could not walk into just any place to have abeer . The first incarnation of the Victory was a small "lean-to" building, but Holmes soon moved to a larger building next door.Holmes was also familiar with both the burgeoning Texas
blues andjazz scenes, and soon, the club became known for its music as well as its food and drink. The club began attracting music lovers, no matter what their race. During its heyday in the 1950s, most of the popular national blues,rhythm and blues , and jazz acts that played Austin performed at the Victory Grill.Ike & Tina Turner ,James Brown ,Etta James ,Billie Holiday ,Chuck Berry andJanis Joplin were some of the artists who graced the stage. A resident of the area later quoted, "The street was so crowded you could barely walk. It was like New Orleans."Holmes leased the Victory Grill out in 1952, while he traveled to
West Texas and thenAlaska . When he returned in 1965, he was shocked at how much the area had declined. Integration had allowed affluent blacks to move to thesuburb s. Also with desegregation, the Chitlin' Circuit ceased to exist, as acts that were once confined to the Victory could now play many other venues. These two factors led to declining attendance and forced Holmes to close the nightclub portion of the Victory in the mid-1970s. Holmes kept the restaurant portion open, as the Victory's food was still special enough to be a big draw.On
Juneteenth weekend of 1987, East 11th came alive with music again at a large reunion bash which brought many of the Victory's former musicians and fans together again. The Victory Grill closed for a period of time afterOctober 10 ,1988 , when it suffered major damage from a fire that spread from an adjoining vacant building.Many movements and fundraisers were held in the following years to get the Victory Grill back open, but most met with tepid response at best. Finally, in 1995, R.V. Adams, a friend of Holmes began restoration efforts and the club re-opened in 1996. This initiated a cultural rebirth of the area, which had become a casualty of
urban blight .The historic Victory Grill [http://historicvictorygrill.org] is one of the last remaining original Chitlin' Circuit juke joints. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, archived by the Texas Historic Commission, and dubbed a "Texas Treasure" by the statewide organization Preservation Texas. It stands as an
artifact to the development of a distinct American music tradition. The Victory Grill is experiencing a restoration that will bridge the era of the Chitlin' Circuit to today’surban contemporary sounds. The restoration and preservation of this working juke joint and café will servesouthern cuisine , provide blues, jazz and urban musical entertainment, and provide fun educational opportunities that link past African-American musical forms and culture with the present.Under new ownership, Eva Lindsey has taken over renovating the Victory Grill as of 2007. Lindsey had the building repainted in the colors of
Huston-Tillotson University , East Austin's historically black university, where she attended college. This historic venue is open for self-produced/private events, educational opportunities and cultural tourism.References
*"Victory Grill". [http://www.klru.org/austinnow/archives/victorygrill/victorygrill.asp KLRU] . Retrieved Aug. 30, 2006.
*"Victory Grill". [http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=3731268 KXAN] . Retrieved Aug. 30, 2006.
*"Spotlight on:Victory Grill". [http://www.austintexas.org/newsletter/feb06/spotlight.html Austin Notes] . Retrieved Aug. 30, 3006.
*Tharp, Robert and Webb, Janet. "Fire Sears historic Victory Bar & Grill". "Daily Texan", Oct. 11, 1988.External links
* [http://www.historicvictorygrill.org/ Victory Grill Website]
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