EATONVILLE, Fla. — In its prime, Club Eaton in Eatonville hosted performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
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It was one of the only venues in Central Florida where Black performers were allowed.
The club closed in 2008 and has fallen into disrepair.
But someone has stepped up to bring the club back to its former glory.
The owner said when it’s brought back to life, he wants it to reflect what it was and a clear view of what it will be like in history.
Charles McKinney grew up watching his mom work at what was Club Eaton in the 1950s.
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“Entertainers like James Brown, BB King, Bobby Blue, and The Bland began to visit the club, and as a young man, you can only go to the back of the club,” he said. “There’s a big fan. And we could only look to the inside as young people was very exciting.”
The club was one of the most famous in the Chitlin’ Circuit, which was initially an underground collection of Black-friendly social venues during Jim Crow and segregation.
The upstairs was a safety measure for the times; it was a place for performers who weren’t allowed to sleep in white hotels.
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“I said to myself, it’s such a waste the way it used to be,” McKinney said.
David Barany is a Hungarian refugee with a passion for history. He bought the property six years ago with a restoration grant, and he’s bringing the club back $250,000 of his own money.
“I felt like it was a moral obligation to restore it to what it used to be,” Barany said.
A look at the walls that once echoed the melodies of Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway, as well as the pre-and after-party for when McKinney went off to war.
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“I’m very excited. and the members of our family that have still left the office are very excited to see something reborn again and put back into a situation that is theirs and not to stand like this
The paperwork for the demolition has been submitted. The goal is for the project to start within the year. No goal date has been set yet.
It will combine a museum space honoring the many entertainers who performed there with an indoor performing arts space, dining venue, and entertainment area.
Barany said a possible name right now includes “The Circuit.”
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