BUFFALO, N.Y. — The groundbreaking for an expansion to the Colored Musicians Club happened on Wednesday.
The club at 145 Broadway in Buffalo will be getting nearly $3 million in renovations. That expansion will add 2,000 square feet of space to the building for new practice and performance areas, a lobby, and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements such as an elevator and more accessible main entrance.
Lawmakers at Wednesday's groundbreaking say it's all about preserving important parts of Buffalo's history.
"Legends like John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillispie, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway all graced the club's stage during their stops in Buffalo, once a major point on the major U.S. jazz circuit," Lt. Gov. Anthony Delgado said.
Another $2 million from Empire State Development will be used toward the project as part of the $65 million East Side Corridor Economic Development Fund.