Our story
Four generations. One living legacy.
A family business, a neighborhood landmark, and generations of people who have made this corner their own.
THE BUILDING & THE BUSINESS
Connected histories.
Different beginnings.
WABE traces the building to the European Hotel, built around 1890 and described in its reporting as Atlanta’s first Black-owned hotel. That date belongs to the building’s history—not to the founding of Pal’s Lounge. The lounge came later, through a family story of its own.
Read the sourcesInside the lounge
The family story,
as it is pictured.
The family portrait connects fourth-generation owner Buttermilk Freeman with his great-grandfather, Robert Lee Murray, also known as Buttermilk.
Open a chapter to follow the sourced history from the building to the family carrying it forward.
c. 1890 · The buildingThe European Hotel
WABE reports that the site was built in 1890 as the European Hotel, described in the reporting as Atlanta’s first Black-owned hotel. This is the history of the corner—not the founding date of Pal’s Lounge.
Later generations · The businessRobert Lee Murray’s legacy
Robert Lee Murray established the family-operated lounge, carrying forward Auburn Avenue’s tradition of Black enterprise.
Four generations · The familyShirley Thomas and Devon Woodson
Devon Woodson, a fourth-generation owner, was introduced to Pal’s through his grandmother Shirley Thomas. Their connection carries family memory forward.
Sweet Auburn · 1947
A musical neighborhood
before and beyond Pal’s.
The first photograph shows Pal’s Cleaners directly beside the Royal Peacock, placing both businesses in the same Sweet Auburn street scene.
The story keeps moving
Past in the foundation.
People in the room.
Explore the dated events and music details we can verify today, or plan a visit to Sweet Auburn.