The historic Pioneer Club, a semi-private club owned by Shag and Bal Taylor and a landmark in the history of jazz, was a funky after-hours night spot located in a brick, three-story row house at the end of a short alley off Tremont Street (where the new Douglass Plaza now stands). Socially and culturally, it was a retreat where people who valued privacy could relax. Many would dine at Estelle's or Slade's across the street, then stroll over to the Pioneer to take in an evening of jazz. The Club began to fill with patrons around 11 p.m., and often musicians played through the night until sunrise. Jazz greats playing in Boston - like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, and Errol Garner - would drop in after hours to perform. The Pioneer Club was also a place where informal community politics were discussed, and Black candidates and elected officials met to plan political strategy with Bal and Shag Taylor.