Buffalo Musicians of Color Club to Expand

As part of its nearly $3 million expansion, Buffalo’s historic Colored Musicians Club has completed the purchase of six properties needed to move the project forward.
The venerable entertainment venue, considered a key anchor for Buffalo’s emerging African-American heritage corridor, paid $1.705 million for the properties — all of which neighbor the Colored Musicians Club.

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The transaction closed July 17, according to documents filed with the Erie County Clerk’s Office. All six properties were owned by 129-143 Broadway LLC. The properties are located at 129 Broadway, 133 Broadway, 137 Broadway, 141 Broadway, 143 Broadway and 514 Michigan Ave.
While work is underway, the bulk of the expansion has focused on a new 2,000-square-foot wing that will include an ADA-compliant entrance and access to both floors of the building.
“This nearly $3 million expansion will not only bring new tourism to the Queen City, but it will do something bigger, it will tell a story,” said Rep. Tim Kennedy.

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The Colored Musicians Club, which dates back to 1918, has a deep local and regional musical heritage, with artists such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald all performing at different points in its history.
The deal comes shortly after the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission Inc. paid $1.55 million for a three-story building at 119 Broadway that will serve as its headquarters and events center.
Coupled with the commission’s new headquarters, the expanded Colored Musicians Club provides a major gateway to the city’s African-American heritage corridor.