Baltimore Musicians' Union 543

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The Baltimore Black Musicians Union opened a meeting hall and boarding house at 620-622 Dolphin Street around the 1940s. Due to the discrimination of Baltimore's downtown hotels at that time, traveling black musicians would stay overnight in the rooms located in part of the building. Both locals and traveling musicians also used the building for meetings and socializing.

Even in the late 1970s, the building continued to be used for music education. Former neighborhood resident Catherine Bailey recalled in a recent post on the Baltimore Old Photos Facebook Group:

“I used to have marching band practice in the basement as a little girl. We were the pride of Baltimore!”

The building later operated as the meeting hall for the Elks fraternal organization and as Mrs. Joanne’s After Hours club.