A Groundbreaking Event For the Future of the Howard Theatre

The growing uptown area nicked named “The Black Broadway” continues to grow and grow. Right on the heels celebrating recent the street namings of Chuck Brown Way, Ben Ali Way and Lil Benny Way, shovels on the morning of September 2, 2010 broke ground to officially begin the restoration of Ledroit Park and Shaw’s Howard Theater. A historical venue that has been falling apart from the inside after decades of disuse. In the audience were dozens of older residents, half of whom raised their hands when Shaw Main Streets president Alex Padro asked how many remembered going to see performances at the theater, which put on its last show in the early 1980s, hosting many go-go bands such as, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited, Petworth Band, Pump Blenders, Peacemakers, Mass Extenction, Trouble Funk, and many others.

The celebrated event include many performances to include the below video clip of Greg Cooper doing is infamous James Brown impressions.