Sometimes you need more than one historical marker.
On the corner of Broad and Lombard streets in Philadelphia you can find this historical marker about Billie Holiday. Like most historical markers it's brief, and ends with "In this city, she often lived here." Okay, but why? The building certainly offers no clues and isn't a private residence.
There are two reasons the jazz great stayed here: work and safety. During her time this building operated as the Douglass Hotel, and was featured in the Green Book as a safe and welcoming place for African Americans to stay in Philadelphia. In the basement of the hotel was The New Showboat, a jazz lounge where Holiday, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and many others performed in the 1940s-1960s. So staying at the hotel and playing in the lounge made a lot of sense.
The Douglass Hotel and The New Showboat really ought to have their own historical markers in our opinion, but until they do we designed a street rider for the occasion so you can share your love of Billie Holiday and this special venue where she shared her talents.
People are going to ask you about your shirt!
What is a Rider?
A rider is the area below a street sign that calls attention to notable people of Philadelphia (like John Coltrane) or areas of cultural importance (like the Avenue of the Arts or Philadelphia’s Gayborhood). In Philadelphia anyone can petition the mayor’s office to add an honorary rider to a street sign, and the city council can then approve the rider.
Some of the riders in this series exist in Philadelphia, like the John Coltrane rider. Others do not exist but we made them because we think they should!
