Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Evans' Rendezvous was renowned as the heartbeat of American Beach. Willie Brantley Evans was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on August 5, 1915. As a young man in the 1930s, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps for two years before serving in the U.S. Army as a cook during World War II. His military experience contributed to his successful future by building his ethics, shrewdness, and culinary skills. In 1948, Evans built this oceanfront nightclub, Evans' Rendezvous, with his friend, Ernest Favors. It was a 200-seat establishment with a long beachfront porch that served food and drinks, and provided musical entertainment and dancing. In its heyday, the club hosted notable celebrities, but the music from the jukebox kept customers in constant motion. Patrons traveled by the busload from areas throughout the Southeast and beyond. It was a venue where one could go and be treated with dignity and respect. One did not need prominence to get in the door but rather the ability to maneuver inside when the house was at full capacity. After nearly forty successful years, Evans sold the Rendezvous in 1980. Willie B. Evans passed away on August 9, 1996, at the age of 81.