Bowery in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Alexander’s Musee

America’s First Great Black Comedian – Billy Kersands

— 317 Bowery —

Alexander’s Musee Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 12, 2016

1. Alexander’s Musee Marker

Inscription. You are standing at the former site of Alexander’s Musee, a popular dime museum that in 1886 presented the singer/dancer/acrobat/musician/comedian Billy Kersands, the first African American performer to achieve nationwide popularity with White as well as Black audiences. Though controversial because of his minstrelsy roots, his fame and status as a headliner helped forge the emergence of African American performers in mainstream entertainment.

Alexander’s was also where folk hero Steve Brodie first appeared after claiming to have survived a leap off the Brooklyn Bridge. (See 114 Bowery) The façade of this 1883 building incorporates Wyoming stone trim and brick into an eclectic Victorian composition. Look for the initials “HB” for owner Herman Bruns, cast into the second story of the two-story cast iron front and in the bowed fire escape. The building now houses the Bowery Residents’ Committee, formed in 1971 to provide comprehensive residential and outpatient programs for formerly homeless men.

-Michell Grubler, Chair, Landmarks Committee Bowery Alliance of Neighbors

Erected 2016 by Bowery Alliance of Neighbors.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.

Location.

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40° 43.52′ N, 73° 59.519′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in the Bowery. Marker is on Bowery near Bleeker Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 317 Bowery, New York NY 10003, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. World’s Smallest Opera House (here, next to this marker); CBGB (a few steps from this marker); Then You Saw It/Now You Don’t (a few steps from this marker); Hats, Hardware & Horses (within shouting distance of this marker); Tin Palace Jazz Club (within shouting distance of this marker); Secret Cemetery Secret Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Bouwerie Lane Theater (within shouting distance of this marker); Casting At The Cast Iron Bank: (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.

More about this marker. One of more than sixty entries in the “Windows on the Bowery” series.

Also see . . .
1. Billy Kersands. Wikipedia biography. (Submitted on April 7, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. The Bowery Historic District - National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places documentation - download. (Submitted on April 7, 2024, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)

Alexander’s Musee Marker site image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 15, 2016

2. Alexander’s Musee Marker site

317 Bowery

Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 12, 2016

3. Inset

The "HB" cast into the façade.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, July 12, 2016

4. Inset

“Our memory of Kersands is his outrageous humor. In reality, he was a sophisticated businessman and entrepreneur; one of the few African-Americans who could negotiate his own contract on his own terms and conditions.”
Leewood Sloane, Cultural Historian

Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 276 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 20, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.