Sphinx
Looking east at the Sphinx Club, opened by Charles Tilghman on Pennsylvania Avenue as an entertainment venue.
Known Name(s)
Sphinx
Address
2107 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, Maryland
Establishment Type(s)
Restaurant
Physical Status
Extant
Description
Two adjoining buildings, each two stories tall, with three bays each, have been made into one building that served as the Sphinx Club. The ground floor bays were remodleed to have two double window openings tht are slightly recessed, and a double door opening between the windows. One opening that retains its late nineteenth century arch is in the last bay at the north end of the building. Decorative metal grills with a large "S" in the center are above the two windows. Plate girders hold up the second story. All of the one-over-one windows in the second story have been removed and the openings boarded over. The exterior is clad in brick, with the second floor painted white.
Detailed History
Charles Tilghman established the Sphinx Club as a club with bands, dinner and drinking that attracted Baltimore's middle class African Americans. He was close friends with Willie Adams. Between the 1940s and 1960s, many African Americans belonged to social, bridge and political clubs that met for lunch or had evening entertainment. The Sphinx Club was frequently the site for the meetings.
