MIAMI – There is so much rich history in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.
Many of the buildings and businesses are where great musicians played and partied in the days of segregation, and this weekend, some of those same places are holding special events and deals to honor that legacy, including Red Rooster.
“This used to be a pool hall called Clyde Killen’s Pool Hall in the 50s and 60s, where all the greats would come through, such as Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald,” said Anastasia Saint-Eloi, Red Rooster’s sales and events manager.
The redevelopment of the pool hall has been a catalyst for the overall redevelopment efforts in the cultural entertainment district of Overtown.
“They wanted to come and create this space with intentionality. So the designs that you see, every piece is thoughtfully placed in that position. We also wanted to celebrate the rich culture of Black art and Black artists,” Saint-Eloi said.
The now-restaurant serves comfort food celebrating the roots of American cuisines and the diverse culinary traditions of the neighborhood.
For Black History Month, Red Rooster is offering special additions alongside their a la carte menu.
“We worked our way through the Caribbean. We worked our way through Cajun country Louisiana, and now this week, we’re focusing on low country, specifically South Carolina,” Chef Charles Page said.
This weekend, they’re serving up Carolina-style smoked pulled whole hog and Frogmore stew.
While most of the food is downstairs, the upstairs will really transform you to the 1960s.
Pictures and posters are hung about the building that you would see throughout the time period in the Overtown community, celebrating the artists that would be coming through.
Overtown was known as the Harlem of the South. So the legacy staircase is a space to remember that.
The pool hall isn’t the only iconic building still standing. Right across the street is the historic Lyric Theatre.
In its 110th year, they’re celebrating Black History Month with a four-day jazz festival. It’s happening now through Sunday.
“Here at the Lyric Theatre, we’re going to do something for the first time. We’re going to have a jazz movie night. This venue was a theatre back in the day, so we want to bring that back,” Melton Mustafa Jr. said.
For ticket information on the festival, click here.