For International Jazz Day, residents walk paths of Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong in Bronzeville

On Saturday afternoon, Myron Stokes stood in a nearly 130-year-old performance venue in Bronzeville.

The room was dark, the walls were worn, and the stage was vacant. But he said he could envision what the space was like in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

“I hear the music, the dancing and the snapping of fingers,” said Stokes, 56, of Oak Park, who also imagined what life may have been like for Black crowds back then.

“They come here for celebration, because they have to go home and go to work and deal with oppression and perhaps even violence, and other types of racial atrocities. So this is a place of safety and fun and exhilaration and passion.”

Stokes was part of a group that explored the historic Forum Hall, located at 318-328 E. 43rd St., where jazz artists from Nat King Cole to Sun Ra once performed. The tour closed out a day of arts and activities, including performances in the soon-to-open Forum Cafe next door and a neighborhood walk to the homes and haunts of jazz icons. The free event was part of Chicago’s month-long celebration of UNESCO International Jazz Day, which culminates in an all-star global concert April 30 at Lyric Opera House.

Chicagoans left feeling proud and inspired by the rich musical history of Bronzeville. Event organizers hoped they also felt more connected to the people in their communities.

“We want neighbors to meet each other,” said Shani “Lady Sunshine” Smith of Calumet Heights, who led the outdoor tour. “We want people to know the histories of their communities and connect around that and take ownership of their communities.”

That’s just what Bernard Loyd did by purchasing The Forum in 2011, which was built in 1897 and used as a gathering space for musicians, politicians and other community members. The Bronzeville resident saved the building from being demolished like so many other historic venues in the neighborhood. He is renovating the property under his development firm, Urban Juncture, and hopes to open the concert hall by 2030, though the cafe in the west annex is scheduled to open this year.

“When you come into this space, it just grabs you,” Loyd said. “You can feel the history. I think the reason that this building is still here, when everything else is gone, is because people have been able to come in and say, ‘You know, there’s something here that we’ve got to keep.’”

Loyd and his team of researchers are constantly discovering information about the space. A few years ago, they found nearly 130-year-old theater backdrops in good enough condition to be restored. One depicts three Black people, which was extremely rare for standard backdrops of the time.

Recently, Loyd also learned about more famous people who spent time at The Forum. Chicago radio personality LaDonna Tittle competed in a beauty and talent pageant there, and former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington used the space to play cards with other politicians.

“I’m so proud of what he’s done,” Bronzeville resident Deveda Francois, 66, said of Loyd’s efforts. “They were tearing down buildings left and right. You don’t find this kind of architecture everywhere.”

Citing the history of the space, musician and composer Angel Bat Dawid said she was honored to play in the cafe during the event.

“There were people just sitting, enjoying the live music, enjoying the atmosphere, meeting each other,” said Dawid, 46, of South Loop. “There were some kids here. I think that’s what The Forum was back in the day, just a place where you could go have a good time and eat great food. It was all positive vibes.”

Outside of the building, Smith kicked off the neighborhood walk by playing music from jazz pianist Tiny Parham, who also performed at the venue.

“Let’s imagine busy streets, music spilling out of windows and people dressed up for the night,” said Smith of the Black Cornerstones Project, which collects oral histories and offers community programs. Smith is the initiative’s master curator of community engagement.

Next, Smith led the group to the Belmonte Flats at 43rd Street and King Drive, where writer Gwendolyn Brooks lived. She spoke about Nat King Cole’s career in Chicago, while attendees gazed at the mural of the icon on the T.K. Lawless Building across the street. Cole also lived in the neighborhood at 4023 S. Vincennes Ave.

The tour included stops at the former sites of music venues, including the Checkerboard Lounge and Pepper’s Lounge on East 43rd Street, as well as the former Parkway Ballroom on South King Drive.

A highlight was a visit to the former home of Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lil Hardin, at 421 E. 44th St. A trumpet is visible in the window.

Among the participants was Bronzeville resident Cathy Dale, 67, who is the wife of late pioneering Black ad executive Robert J. Dale. Holding hands with her 2-year-old grandson, Jabari, she said her favorite song is Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

“It’s the coolest thing,” she said of Armstrong’s history in the area. “I feel proud living in the neighborhood.”