Philadelphia Clef Club gets major makeover

Philly's Clef Club is renovating its iconic Broad Street building for the first time in more than two decades.

Why it matters: The PCC has served as a historical hub for the city's jazz scene — a place where legends such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie once mingled.

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Driving the news: The club has raised $3 million, including a $2 million gift from the William Penn Foundation, but needs an additional $1.5 million to complete the project, board president Ken Scott said in a statement.

• The center timed the project announcement to coincide with the start of its fall season and the retirement of artistic director Lovett Hines, who has developed PCC's music education program over nearly four decades.

Rendering of the stage area. Image: Courtesy of PCC

Zoom in: The major facelift will add new spaces, transform old ones and overhaul the building's exterior, including new signage.

Flashback: The club was founded in 1966 by local members of the American Federation of Musicians as Black artists struggled to gain recognition.

• The club moved from South Broad Street to South 13th Street in 1970, then opened a new South Broad Street facility in 1995.

What's ahead: The club hopes to finish the project by 2025.

Rendering of the lobby. Image: Courtesy of PCC