Photos: Bygone era - historic entertainment at Brownie’s
Former Brownie’s owner John Phillips has a collection of photos from the heyday of Brownie’s. The photos of entertainers who performed at Brownie’s’ Trianon Ballroom once graced the walls of Brownie’s. From the 1930s, the city’s one-time oldest watering hole showcased performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The Trianon Ballroom was in a building adjacent to the bar. It is now an empty lot.
A local landmark, Brownies was the oldest bar in Fort Lauderdale when it closed this fall. Brothers Blaise McMackin and Sean McMackin and Jacqueline Rivera gutted the 74-year-old Brownie’s after buying the S. Andrews Avenue business in September. The real estate investors own Beach Pizza on Las Olas Boulevard.
The recession, life changes and a good offer all led lawyer John Phillips sale of the bar he owned since 1999. “We werent fancy,” Phillips said. “”t was dark and old and thats why people liked it.”
