Blue Room restaurant
Known Name(s)
Blue Room restaurant
Address
358 Holbrook Danville, VA
Establishment Type(s)
Restaurant
Physical Status
Demolished
Detailed History
The house on this site was built in 1960 and is therefore NOT the same building as the restaurant listed in The Green Book. The 1951 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map does not include this address. The street numbers on that map go from 356 to 360.
According to resident Paula Martin Smith, in a Star Tribune interview published on Feb 4, 2021, Pringle’s Blue Room was located at 358 Holbrook Street. George and Ruth Pringle lived upstairs and operated a restaurant in the basement of their house, during a time when black people were not allowed to dine in white restaurants. Patrons entered the restaurant through the left side. The full interview is here: https://www.chathamstartribune.com/news/article_499253dc-66ff-11eb-87bf-ab6b3cf70767.html
The 1950 census lists George Pringle, age 39, born in Virginia, and his wife Ruth, age 38, born in New York, at this address. Both are Black. George works as a longshoreman.
