T
he former Cotton Club on 125th Street, a homage to the legendary Harlem venue that launched Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, is now on the market for $20 million. The 12,600‑sq‑ft lot, with a buildable area of 37,800 sq‑ft, sits beneath the Riverside Drive viaduct and is listed by Serhant agent Tay Tiwoni. Tiwoni says the property’s zoning is ideal for mixed‑use residential or commercial projects and that the next owner should contribute positively to the neighborhood, whether as a new cultural hub or a development.

    The 125th‑Street club opened in the 1970s and closed its doors in 2024. Its interior featured photographs from the 1920s original, and the space has become a symbol of the area’s recent transformation, with Columbia University’s new buildings just across the street. Tiwoni emphasizes the historic value of the site, noting that it is “not just another building; it’s a piece of history.”

    The original Cotton Club, located at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue, opened in 1920 under boxing champion Jack Johnson and later fell under the control of bootlegger Owney Madden, who renamed it Cotton Club. The club enforced a segregation policy that showcased black performers for exclusively white audiences. Despite this, it became a launchpad for jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, and Louis Armstrong. The club briefly moved to Midtown in 1936 before closing permanently in 1940, and the name resurfaced in Harlem’s 125th Street in 1978. Other iterations have appeared in cities from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs.

    The 125th‑Street location, now closed, represents the final chapter of a venue that helped define the Jazz Age. Its sale marks the end of a genre‑defining legacy, but the property’s storied past and prime location keep it a coveted asset for developers and cultural investors alike.