Dancin' at Brick's Pavilion

Dancing at Brick’s Pavilion
By John Willard, QC Times, Jan. 24, 2006

His notorious nightclub could pack in a thousand revelers during a single evening.
James A. "Brick" Munro also had a charitable side. He gave freely to the destitute and downtrodden.
He cut a colorful swath early in the 20th century as the owner of Brick Munro’s Pavilion and Summer Garden. Located at the southwest corner of 2nd and Rock Island streets (today Pershing Avenue), "Brick’s Pavilion" was among the largest and best known of the pleasure palaces that dotted Bucktown.
Generally lying within the area east of Perry Street to the Government Bridge and from the Mississippi River to 3rd Street, Bucktown was widely known for its brothels, gambling dens and drinking establishments until reformed-minded officials and a 1916 statewide prohibition ended its evil ways.
Munro’s tavern and dance hall thrived through most of the first decade of the 20th century, according to city directories, until the site gave way to other uses ranging from warehousing to clothing and furniture retailing. The land currently is occupied by the Bucktown Center for the Arts, home of the Midwest Writing Center and other users. (See "Write On" on this page.)
Let’s take a closer look at Munro and his legacy.
Born on Sept. 7, 1862 to Katherine and David Munro, he attended Davenport public schools and spent his entire life in Davenport. By the turn of the 20th century, he was known as "the king of Bucktown."
"At Brick’s pavilion, the lights burned merrily and the ‘bear cat,’ the ‘Cubanola glide’ and other ‘classics’ were in full swing from 8 o’clock at night until 7 o’clock in the morning," the Davenport Democrat and Leader once reported. The book "Them was the Good Old Days" mentions that "Brick Munro originated the cabaret at his ‘Pavilion,’ and it spread over the country like wildfire."
Munro became a wealthy man, whose holdings also included the Palace Hotel at 111-115 Brady St., but he died in comparative poverty. On the occasion of his death at age 78 on Oct. 27, 1940, newspapers noted his benevolence.
"At the height of his career, Mr. Munro never turned down anyone who asked him for money. Anyone with a hard luck story could obtain cash from him, and he loaned thousands of dollars to comparative strangers, most of which was never repaid," the Davenport Daily Times reported.
The Democrat wrote: "In his days of prosperity Mr. Munro was looked upon as the good Samaritan of the east side. The poor he helped ran well into the hundreds and not a few persons who died penniless were given decent burials at his expense."
John Willard can be contacted at (563) 383-2314 or jwillard@qctimes.com.