About us

The Hippodrome Theater is located in Historic Jackson Ward; which became known as the “Harlem of the South,” a reference to its Black heritage, culture and its musical tradition. In its heyday, the likes of Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington performed at the Hippodrome.

Jackson Ward is a recognized National Historical Landmark in the City of Richmond was home to many Black-owned businesses, banks, and insurance companies and was referred to as the ''Black Wall Street''. The Hippodrome Theater and the Taylor Mansion are the centerpiece of the latest project to return this area to its legendary prominence. This historic neighborhood was the center of African-American commerce and entertainment from the late 1800s to the late 1960s.

Second Street, known as ''The Deuce'', was a bustling hot spot of performance venues where the Hippodrome Theater still stands today. Originally built in 1913 as a vaudeville stage and movie theater, The Hippodrome became a celebrated musical locale attracting such legendary greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Bill ''Bojangles'' Robinson, B.B. King, and Cab Calloway - just to name a few. Film being quite flammable, the 1913 building burnt down in the 1930s, and the current building was constructed on the same site in the late 1930s to early 1940s.

Jackson Ward was home to many influential people, including Maggie Walker, the first woman to charter and serve as president of a bank. The first bank chartered by African Americans was located in Jackson Ward at 105 W. Jackson Street. The True Reformers Bank was chartered in 1888 by the Rev. William Washington Brown and the Rev. William Lee Taylor, who was president of The United Order of True Reformers.

Taylor's private home, adjacent to the Hippodrome, built in 1907 by renowned Black architect John Lankford, has now been beautifully revitalized into the ''Speakeasy Grill'' restaurant, specializing in Southeastern Cuisine, and the ''Speakeasy Venue'' hosting events up to 200.

The Speakeasy name is in reference to the mansions being used as a ''nip joint'' or speakeasy during the Prohibition era in America from the 1920s to the 1930s when alcohol consumption was illegal. The Hippodrome Theater has been beautifully restored with meticulous attention to detail. This is now truly a one-of-a-kind event venue and entertainment mecca for all types of events.