| Type | Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Key people | Frank Palumbo |
| Products | Food and beverage |
Palumbo’s was an entertainment complex in Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, Palumbo’s included a banquet hall and Nostalgia’s Restaurant.[1] The club was owned by local celebrity/businessman/humanitarian Frank Palumbo. Amid unsubstantiated rumors[2][3] of mafia connections, Palumbo expanded a boardinghouse started by his grandfather, Antonio Palumbo into the entertainment complex.[4]
In the 1940s and 1950s, Philadelphia was an important pop music center, with many bands and singers being made or broken in the city.[5] The 20th Century Club, Ciro's and the opulent, art deco Click Club in midtown which Frank also owned were significant elements in the music scene.[5] Frequent performers at the club included Frank Sinatra, Sergio Franchi, Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong, the Clooney Sisters, Jimmy DuranteAnd "The Godfathers" Al Martino and numerous others.[1][2][5][6][7][8] A nightly radio series broadcast concerts from the club, many of which were later released as albums.
Well beyond the club’s heyday, the restaurant remained popular. Sinatra visited the “black tie saloon” frequently[5] and mayor Frank Rizzo spent most evenings there during his rise to power, years in office and beyond.[9]
Palumbo’s was destroyed by fires in 1994. The fires were determined to be arson.[10] The site, marked by an unofficial historical plaque, is now occupied by a chain drug store.[11]
Coordinates: 39°56′22″N 75°09′29″W / 39.9395°N 75.1580°W
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