Paradise Ballroom

An ad from May 22 1947

The Paradise Ballroom was a venue in the heart of the African-American community in South Nashville. Built by Thomas T. Wilson after he demolished his Negro League Baseball stadium, Tom Wilson Park, the Paradise Ballroom had a dance floor large enough for basketball games and boxing matches, and welcomed a variety of touring jazz greats.

History[edit | edit source]

Ad from July 14 1942

A prominent sportsman, businessman, and numbers banker in Nashville, Tennessee, Tom Wilson organized the Nashville Elite Giants in 1921 and shepherded the ballclub through difficult times, playing variously in the Negro Southern League and the Negro National League, and moving the franchise to Cleveland, Columbus, Washington, and Baltimore in search of diamond success and solvency. Tom Wilson opened Tom Wilson Park, one of two African-American owned professional ballparks, in 1929 in the Trimble Bottom neighborhood of South Nashville, a home to Irish and Black families since the 1800s. Wilson Park also hosted spring training sessions for the Nashville Vols, a minor league team of the Southern Association. Spring training games brought such baseball greats as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Roy Campanella to the park. After moving the Negro League Elite (pronounced e-light) Giants away from Nashville, Wilson eventually demolished the ballpark to make way for a hotel and ballroom. The Paradise Ballroom hosted numerous musical greats throughout the 1940s.

Still batting from its roots, The Paradise Ballroom hosted the meetings for the Negro Southern Baseball League in December of 1945.

Basketball games at the ballroom included college teams from Fisk, Tuskegee Institute of Alabama, and Meharry (called The Meharry Medics), as well as national touring teams such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For larger games, a section was reserved for white patrons.

A write-up from January 29, 1942

Due to its larger size, the Paradise Ballroom was able to host floor shows, including dance, ballet, with a full orchestra.

Tennessean article from March 22, 1942

After Tom Wilson's death in 1947, the Paradise Ballroom continued to operate for a few years, before the site was sold off to a private racing club in the 1950s.

Tom Wilson[edit | edit source]

For more information on the businessman, please see his page Thomas T. Wilson.

Notable Performers[edit | edit source]

The Tennessean records performances by Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, and Jimmie Lunceford among others.

Tennessee State Historical marker 3A 198 for Tom T. Wilson Park records that "Besides being an owner, Wilson served as secretary and president of the Negro Southern League and vice chair , treasurer, and president of the Negro National League. After quitting baseball and ceasing ball activities at the park, he opened the Paradise Ballroom on the same site. Entertainers included Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway and Sarah Vaughn."