| Cotton Club | |
| Address: | 500 Jackson Avenue |
| Country: | United States |
| Opened: | 1944 |
| Closed: | 1957 |
The Cotton Club was a club at 500 Jackson Avenue in the West Side of Las Vegas, Nevada, which was an exclusive club for African Americans.[1]
Established in late 1944 as a small bar by Moe Taub,[2] it was one of the earliest Black clubs to legally operate away from Downtown Las Vegas. Sarann Knight-Preddy become a keno writer for the club, and in 1950 she became the first black woman to hold a gaming license in Nevada.[2]
In July 1947 the Cotton Club was sold to Jodie Cannon, who resold it less than 6 months later to Uvalde Caperton, though Cannon stayed on as a manager.[2] The original club was destroyed by an explosion and fire in May 1948.[3] Caperton owned the club until 1957, when it closed.[2]
In 1969, Preddy put in a club with Margie Elliot called the Playhouse Lounge at the location. They were unable to obtain a gaming license and after a year, sold the business. It reopened from 1970 to 1985 as "Love's Cocktail Lounge".[2]