By: Shelley McKinley
The historic and newly renovated Eldorado Ballroom, established in 1939, served as the site where Cheniere and the Astros Foundation hosted senior citizen groups for a delicious meal by Chef Chris Williams, along with musical accompaniment from the violinist, Demola. For some attendees they could recall their parents getting dressed to attend performances by the likes of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. For others, they personally attended performances of artists such as Etta James and Ike and Tina.
The event also planted the seed for support of the upcoming 2nd Annual Cactus Jack HBCU Classic. e round-robin collegiate baseball classic, designed by the Astros Foundation and Astros Youth Academy to highlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs, will feature six teams: Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M, Grambling State University, Southern University, Jackson State University, and Alcorn State University. Paula Harris, Executive Director of the Astros Foundation asserted, “ e College Classic has existed for 23 years, while this is the second HBCU Classic. We are going to level the playing eld.” Cheniere’s accountants and lawyers served as waiters during the event. Cheniere Foundation Executive Director, Wendy Craven, who initiated the partnership with the Astros Foundation and e Eldorado Ballroom exclaimed, “We’re here, we’re your neighbors, and we care about you!”
Chef Chris Williams of Lucille’s, spearheaded the renovations of e Eldorado Ballroom, preserving the original floors, windows, steps, and bar. “Our mission is to bring it back to national recognition,” stated Williams. According to the Texas State Historical Association, Houston’s Eldorado Ballroom reigned as one of the nest showcases in Texas for the live performance of Black secular music—mostly blues, jazz, and R&B, but occasionally also pop and zydeco.
Known as a stop on the Chitterling Circuit, the Eldorado was featured in the Negro Motorists Green Book, which indicated safe spaces for African American people to lodge, and obtain goods and services throughout the United States. By 1970, however, the Eldorado declined primarily due to the negative economic impact for Black-owned businesses in the wards triggered by desegregation. Changing musical tastes was also a contributing factor.
Many younger Black people abandoned the classic jazz and blues of their parents’ generation for more progressive sounds during that time. Similarly, the addition of African-Americans to major league rosters ultimately ended the Negro National League in 1948 and later the Negro American League in 1963. Spotlights on the renovated Eldorado Ballroom and the 2nd Annual HBCU Classic provide opportunities for multi-generational engagement to reignite interest in historical aspects of African American culture.
