Jackson Ward is most notable for its part in the rise of the African American business community. After the American Civil War, previously free blacks joined freed slaves and their descendants to create a thriving community often known as the “Black Wall Street of America. Jackson Ward was also called the “Harlem of the South.” Venues such as the Hippodrome Theater were frequented by the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, James Brown and other performers. Today, a statue of Bill Bojangles Robinson is at the center of the neighborhood and the area is thriving. With its proximity to both the VCU undergraduate campus and the VCU School of Medicine, it is home to some of the trendiest restaurants and bars as well as the Richmond Convention Center and Coliseum. Its location in the middle of the city makes it easy to enjoy all the city has to offer!