Sunday, February 23, 2025, 10:57AM |  27°
MENU
Advertisement
Gus Greenlee owner of the Crawford Grill and the Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League baseball team.
1
MORE

Let’s Learn from the Past: The Crawford Grill William “Gus” Greenlee Pittsburgh Crawfords

Let’s Learn from the Past: The Crawford Grill William “Gus” Greenlee Pittsburgh Crawfords

The Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh’s Hill District served as the epicenter of jazz music from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Located on the corner of Crawford Street and Wylie Avenue, the club was founded in 1930 by William “Gus” Greenlee, a leader in Pittsburgh’s African American community who ran the popular “numbers” game and later owned the Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League baseball team.

Despite existing in an era of racial segregation, the Crawford Grill welcomed customers of every ethnicity. Both African American and white musicians made their way to the Hill to jam with African American musicians from around nation, as their love and appreciation for jazz music outweighed racial prejudice.

Advertisement

As its popularity soared, “The Grill” attracted hundreds of jazz legends to its revolving stage, including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Billy Eckstine, and Stanley Turrentine. In addition to jazz musicians, many actors, athletes, and politicians were known to frequent the club, including civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and baseball legend Roberto Clemente.

In 1943, Greenlee partnered with Joseph Robinson to open a new Crawford Grill at Wylie Avenue and Elmore Street in the Hill District. After Greenlee’s death in 1952, Robinson passed ownership of “The Grill” to his son, William “Buzzy” Robinson. The third incarnation of the club opened in 1948 at Bidwell Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, but closed its doors in 1955, as it was unable to generate the same business it did during the Golden Age of Jazz.

In 2001, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognized the importance of the Crawford Grill and dedicated a state historical marker at the club’s second location on Wylie Avenue.

Visitors to the Heinz History Center can step inside a recreation of the Crawford Grill and listen to music from some of the region’s most prominent jazz musicians as part of the long-term exhibition, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation. For more information, please visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

Advertisement

First Published: June 8, 2017, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
4
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
5
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
Gus Greenlee owner of the Crawford Grill and the Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League baseball team.
Advertisement
LATEST life
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story