4. Alhambra Ballroom
The Alhambra Ballroom was once the vaudeville theater, the Harlem Alhambra, built in 1905 at 126th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The ballroom of the Alhambra, also known as “the Auditorium,” wasn’t added to the upstairs until 1929 where artists like Billie Holiday, Jellie Roll Morton, and Bessie Smith performed and swing dancing competitions took place. The original structure was designed by theater architect John Bailey McElfatrick. Like may other grand theaters and ballrooms, the Alhambra also went into a period of decline and re-opened as The Alhambra Ballroom in 2003 as an event venue. A bowling alley is on the 3rd and 4th floor, while the Masonic King Salomon Grand Lodge is also a tenant of the building.
