Rebuilding Historic Turf Club Venue
The Asbury Park African-American Music Project continues to rebuild the iconic Springwood Avenue Turf Club venue. The new roof is done. Next up is the installation of new multi-light steel energy-efficient windows plus the restoration of the main door corner entrance.
The Turf Club is the only surviving music venue of the many that housed Springwood Avenue’s music
scene, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Framed within the genres of gospel, jazz, and R&B, the neighborhood thrived as an enclave of African-American musical expression. All along Springwood Avenue one could hear the music of both local talent and icons such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. It was referred to as “Little Harlem,” an important stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit (a network of venues that catered to African Americans).
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Operational from 1956 to 2000, it’s been vacant since but still stands as a community symbol of what has been and what could be. The Asbury Park African-American Music Project has been working since 2018 to bring the Turf Club back as a community music and cultural venue. Since the summer of 2021, AP-AMP has hosted a series of open-air concerts inside the roofless Turf Club called “Tuesdays at the Turf” that feature musicians who once played there.
AP-AMP purchased the Turf Club in 2022 and is still in the process of raising $2 million for the full restoration and future life of this historic venue. Leadership grant awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the State of New Jersey along with Monmouth County funding and the support of individuals—including a very generous donation from Bruce Springsteen—and corporations enabled AP-AMP to continue this mission.
For further info: asburyamp.org
