Cotton Club (Las Vegas)

The Cotton Club was a club at 500 Jackson Avenue in the West Side of Las Vegas, Nevada, which was an exclusive club for African Americans.

History
Established in late 1944 as a small bar by Moe Taub, it was one of the earliest Black clubs to legally operate away from Downtown Las Vegas. Sarann Knight-Preddy become a keno writer for the club, and in 1950 she became the first black woman to hold a gaming license in Nevada.

In July 1947 the Cotton Club was sold to Jodie Cannon, who resold it less than 6 months later to Uvalde Caperton, though Cannon stayed on as a manager. The original club was destroyed by an explosion and fire in May 1948. Caperton owned the club until 1957, when it closed.

Later years
In 1969, Preddy put in a club with Margie Elliot called the Playhouse Lounge at the location. They were unable to obtain a gaming license and after a year, sold the business. It reopened from 1970 to 1985 as "Love's Cocktail Lounge".