Pittsburgh's premier jazz club, the Crawford Grill, attracted legendary musicians and helped to establish Pittsburgh as a nationally known jazz hot spot.

Owner Gus Greenlee, a powerful figure in Pittsburgh's African-American community, dominated the entertainment scene in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Greenlee, who also owned the Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League baseball team, was known as the "King of the Hill" when he opened the Crawford Grill in 1931 on the corner of Wylie Avenue and Crawford Street.

During the 1930s and '40s, Pittsburgh's mill and factory employees worked rotating shifts, ensuring that someone would be looking for good food and entertainment almost every night of the week. The Crawford Grill excelled at providing both.

The block-long Grill featured three floors of entertainment, including a revolving stage with a glass-topped bar, and "Club Crawford" -- a VIP area where some of the era's most famous musicians mingled and performed. Music lovers flocked to the Crawford Grill to hear performances by jazz greats Billy Eckstine, George Benson and Mary Lou Williams.

As its popularity soared, the Crawford Grill attracted a diverse clientele who wanted to be a part of the vibrant jazz scene. By the 1940s, the Grill opened additional locations in the Hill District and North Side.

Although the original Crawford Grill closed in 1952 when Greenlee died, regulars can still remember the sweet sounds of jazz bellowing out its doors.

Visitors can step inside a re-creation of the Crawford Grill and listen to music from some of our region's most prominent jazz musicians as part of the History Center's newest exhibition, "Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation."

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.