Hi-Hat
Known Name(s)
Hi-Hat Inn; Hi-Hat Club
Address
White Horse Pike; Gloucester and White Horse Pikes Lawnside, NJ 08045 (Primary) (1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966)131 White Horse Pike; 16 White Horse Pike Lawnside, NJ 08045 (Modern Address)
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel, Inn, Café, Tavern, Night Club
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
Between 1938-1967, the years the Hi-Hat advertised in the Green Book, there were two businesses named Hi-Hat in Lawnside. The first, called the Hi-Hat Inn, was located at what is now 131 White Horse Pike, and was from 1936-1948, managed by William A. Willis.[1] The second, called the Hi-Hat Club, was located at what is now 16 White Horse Pike. It was owned by William A. Willis from 1948-1957, and by Franire, Inc., from 1957-1969.[2]
Apparently, the Hi-Hat’s various owners did not think it necessary to revise the Green Book advertisement when the business name and location changed. Both establishments were after-all, within a short distance of each other on opposites sides of the White Horse Pike. If patrons stopped at the former location – which was called the Inman Hotel by 1952 – they could be directed across the street to the Hi-Hat Club, which also had visible signage.[3]
[1]. “Legal Notices,” Courier Post, March 20, 1982, p. 29; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 11/21/2022), identifies former Inman Hotel address as 131 White Horse Pike; “Hi-Hat Club Opens Thurs.,” Philadelphia Inquirer (1912-), 20 June 1936, p. 14; digital image, ProQuest Historical Newspapers (https://www.proquest.com/news : 4/12/2024); Club opening at site of former Lawnside Inn, which was the site of the former Eureka Sanitarium; Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 1405, p. 261-263, John Moody and Beatrice Moody, 16 September 1948; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; instrument confirms appointment of William A. Willis as manager of Hi-Hat property.
[2].“Notice of Application,” Courier Post, 20 June 1958, p. 11; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com ; accessed 1/6/2024); Plenary Retail Consumption License application for Hi-Hat Club, 20 White Horse Pike, Lawnside, New Jersey; Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 1405, p. 261-263, John Moody and Beatrice Moody to William A. Willis, 16 September 1948; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 1580, p. 13 &c, Panell to Willis, 6 May 1949; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 3117, p. 432-435, Franire, Inc., to David Dion, Lewis Dion, and Ellis R. Segal, 26 June 1969; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City.
[3].[Victor H. Green], The Negro Motorist Green Book, An International Travel Guide. New York: Victor H. Green and Co., Publishers, various years between 1936--1967. Digital images available at “Digital Collections,” New York Public Library (https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9dc3ff40-8df4-0132- fd57-58d385a7b928 : accessed 2/12/2023).
[4]. Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 3114, p. 489, Borough of Lawnside to David Dion, 1 May 1969; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; Camden County, N. J., Deed Book 3117: 432-435; “Notice of Application,” Courier Post, 22 May 1969, p. 48; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com ; accessed 1/6/2024).
[5]. “Masco Young On the Town,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 2 March 1971; p. 10; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com ; accessed 11/25/2023); Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 3228, page 1181, Foodmaker, Inc., to David Dion, et al, 13 May 1971; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; [Jack in the Box Ad] “Cashier,” Courier Post, 5 March 1971, p. 41; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com ; accessed 11/25/2023).
[6]. Camden County, New Jersey. Deed Book 3272, pages 1079-1083, David Dion, et al to Lauretta Adams, 16 February 1973; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; Camden County, New Jersey. Mortgage Book 2407: p.283, Hi-Hat Supper Club, Inc., to Freda Robinson-Allen, 5 May 1978; Camden County Clerk’s Office, Camden City; “Trustee Sale in Bankruptcy . . .,” Courier Post, 4 September 1988, p. 116; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com ; accessed 10/27/2022).
[7]. Aerial photo of former Hi-Hat Club lot, undated; digital image, LoopNet.com (https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/18982806/20-White-Horse-Pike-Lawnside-NJ/ ; accessed 7/3/2024).
Detailed History
David Dion, et al, bought the Hi-Hat property and liquor license in 1969.[4] Under his ownership, the original structure was removed, and the lot was subdivided to make way for yet another Hi-Hat and a Jack in the Box.[5] He sold the new Hi-Hat to Lauretta Adams in 1973. Adams owned the Hi-Hat Supper Club for less than a year before selling it to Levi R. Palmer. The club went to Palmer’s mother, Freda Robinson-Allen, after Palmer’s death in 1976. The Hi-Hat’s furniture and equipment were auctioned at a bankruptcy sale held on the property in September 1988.[6]
The structure once known as the Hi-Hat Supper Club still stands at 20 White Horse Pike, but it is no longer an entertainment venue. The Popeye’s at 16 White Horse Pike, took the place of the former Jack in the Box.[7]
