Decatur's Old Post Office Is a Jazz Club Now. Here's How a Night There Works

Will Scruggs played his first sets as a college student at Churchill Grounds, the club beside the Fox Theatre. He sat in there and, in his words, "started to envision myself as a band leader." Sam Yi gave him that start. The club closed that location on July 31, 2016, after opening there on May 1, 1997.

Ten years later, Scruggs is the owner and operator of a new Churchill Grounds at 141 E. Trinity Place in downtown Decatur. It sits inside a white marble building that most people in town still think of as Greene's Fine Foods. Rough Draft Atlanta reported on Oct. 1 that the club had reopened with limited seatings ahead of a November grand opening.

The address matters more this time than it used to. For ten years, Churchill Grounds had a name and a following but no room of its own. In Decatur it owns the room. That one change explains how the place is built, from the restaurant downstairs to the way tickets are sold.

A Decade Without Walls

After the Fox Theatre location closed, the club called itself "a jazz club without walls." It kept going with pop-ups and jam sessions, and TenATL in East Atlanta Village became a regular gathering spot for its players and fans. The homepage sums up the stretch this way: "The address kept changing. The idea never did."

Scruggs told EarRelevant that he began planning a new club once the original left the Fox. He held back at first out of loyalty to Yi, who hoped to reopen in East Atlanta. He kept going in case that never happened. In 2023 he formed the Cornerstone Jazz Collective with help from Emory business school contacts. The collective brought together almost 200 small investors to buy a historic property and turn it into a multi-use jazz center.

The building it bought has a long public history of its own. The National Park Service nomination lists it as the United States Post Office–Decatur, built in 1935. It served as a post office until 1967, when the Postal Service sold it to the General Services Administration, which turned it into a federal building. According to WABE, the collective closed on the property Aug. 30, 2024. Greene's served its last customers two days later, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.

Why Owning the Building Changes the Math

Scruggs has described the project's finances in plain terms. A bank financed about half of an $8.5 million project, and the community put up the other half. A later Decaturish report puts the adaptive-reuse estimate at $8.6 million and says the collective had already invested more than $4 million when that story ran. The renovation grows the leasable space from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet and adds an elevator so the lower level is accessible.

The tenants are part of the plan to pay for the club. Scruggs described it this way:

"In the traditional model, the musicians are at the bottom of the economic totem pole. They usually play for the door. The club owner makes money from the bar and is trying to pay the landlord, who is trying to pay the bank. But by owning the building, we get a chance to put the community and the musicians at the top of that totem pole."

The restaurant in the building pays on a revenue-sharing lease, so a full club means more income for the center. Scruggs also counts the roughly 200 investors as part of the plan. They are stakeholders who want the room full, and he expects them to bring friends. A club that depends on a landlord has to fill seats a few nights a week. A building with paying tenants can support music every night.

How a Night There Works

The club's Visit page lists live music seven nights a week:

The Events page summary lists 7:30 p.m. for Monday through Thursday, while the October Monday shows are listed at 8 p.m. Check the individual show page before heading out on a Monday.

Ticket prices depend on the act. This week's lineup includes the Erik Olson Quartet on Wednesday, Oct. 7, for $25; Joe Gransden and Kenny Banks Sr. playing the Great American Songbook on Thursday, Oct. 8, for $40; and the Dave Potter Quartet on Friday, Oct. 9, for $25. A few house rules affect how you plan the evening:

• Tickets include a $10 food-and-beverage credit, and there is no spending minimum.
• Walk-ups are possible. Door sales start 30 minutes before a set. Reserved seats can be released 15 minutes after the set begins, and the wait list is first-come.
• All ages are welcome.
• Parking is limited. The small on-site lot is first-come, extra spaces can be reserved, and downtown street parking is available. Decatur MARTA is a five-minute walk.

The membership program uses the same ownership-minded thinking. The Cornerstone Club costs $240 a year, down from a regular $300, and includes members-only events, early access to shows and 10% off merchandise. The MLW Supporting Partner tier is $400, down from $500, and adds family benefits and 10% off services at Scruggs Woodwinds. The Ellington Suite is $4,000, down from $5,000, and includes priority parking and private balcony bookings. All three prices are early-adopter rates that run through Jan. 1, 2027.

What's Open in the Building, and What's Coming

The club is only one part of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center. The center is named through a partnership with the foundation of the jazz pianist, who was born in Atlanta in 1910. According to the center's site, here is the status of each tenant as of this week:

Clave comes from Luis Fernandez and Yanin Cortes, who also run Mojitos Bistro and The Crossing Steakhouse. Mojitos Bistro has locations in Peachtree Corners and Norcross. The menu preview lists Cuban mojo chicken with rice, beans and plantains; lechón with congri rice and yuca; empanadas; a Cuban sandwich; and prime rib and filet mignon. The site says the menu rotates. Clave's site lists breakfast at a ventanita, or walk-up window, from 8 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., and late-night service until 2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The center's own description lists coffee and pastries from 7 a.m. to noon, so check morning hours once the restaurant opens.

Clave also serves the club. At its Oct. 5 meeting, the City Commission approved Clave's license to serve beer, wine and liquor at 141 East Trinity Place, Suite 2, covering both the restaurant and Churchill Grounds. The same Decaturish recap reports that the full center's grand opening is set for late November. No exact date has been announced yet.

On the lower level, Scruggs Woodwinds takes lesson bookings and class registrations. Scruggs has said the shop will carry consignment saxophones, vintage horns and mouthpieces. He has also described plans for a community version of a college jazz program, with history and theory courses, combos and an adult lab band. The shop's name honors Mary Lou Williams as well as Scruggs, since her maiden name was Mary Scruggs.

The Rest of Downtown This Fall

Other well-known downtown spaces are getting new tenants this fall too, a few blocks from Trinity Place. Muchacho, the Cali-Mex counter spot, is taking the former Revival space at 129 Church St. Decaturish reports that the city has issued the certificate allowing it to open to the public and that the commission approved its alcohol license. A city memo says it will have live entertainment. No opening date has been announced. On Howard Avenue, Kelly's Market at 308 E. Howard Ave. gets new owners, Terminus Market & Provisions Company, who are slated to take over the market and deli on Friday, Oct. 9. At 340 Church St., Victory Sandwich Bar became Besto on July 28. Besto is an American-Italian spot with counter service at lunch and full service at dinner.

The city calendar lists Scream on the Square: Halloween Edition on Friday, Oct. 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Decatur MARTA Plaza, 400 Church St. That's the same MARTA stop Churchill Grounds names as a five-minute walk from its door. Friday sets at the club start at 8 and 10 p.m.

If you're wondering how a seven-night jazz room within walking distance affects the value of a home near the Square, Property Guys of Atlanta can run the numbers for your street. Request your free home valuation, and we'll show you how recent downtown Decatur sales compare to yours.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.