Columbia in Boone County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
African-American Heritage Trail
In the 1950s, businessman Alvan B. Coleman, with partners Edward and Ellis Tibbs, owned and operated the Tiger Theater at 109. N. Fifth Street. It was a theater for blacks by day and a nightclub at night. Their liquor store was in an adjacent building. Over the years, the theater had several names and was demolished in 1986 after the Columbia Daily Tribune acquired the land to expand operations.
St. Luke Methodist Church was founded in about 1866 and, by 1886, met in a log house on Fifth Street near Walnut. By about 1922, the congregation moved into the only stone church built by blacks in Columbia. The church was used as a community meeting place but struggled financially at times. After it was condemned, the church moved to an Ash Street location and continues today at 204 E. Ash Street.
Erected 2019 by Sharp End Heritage Committee, Economic Development Inc., City of Columbia; signage courtesy of the Downtown Community Improvement District (CID).
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 38° 57.166′ N, 92° 19.901′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Missouri, in Boone County. It is at the intersection of North 5th Street and East Walnut Street, on the right when traveling north on North 5th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19 N 5th St, Columbia MO 65201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Little Dixie and in the Missouri River Corridor. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sharp End (within shouting distance of this marker); Tibbs Building (within shouting distance of
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2021
2. Tiger Theater / St. Luke Methodist Church Marker
Also see . . . African-American Heritage Trail complete, ready to teach. Columbia Missourian website entry (Submitted on April 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 632 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
