Harold Washington Cultural Center is a performance facility located in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago's South Side.

It was named after Chicago's first African-American Mayor Harold Washington and opened in August 2004, ten years after initial groundbreaking.

[3] Former Chicago City Council Alderman Dorothy Tillman and singer Lou Rawls take credit for championing the center, which cost $19.5 million.

The limestone building, which is located on the same site as a former historic black theatre, the Regal[4] has become the subject of controversy stemming from nepotism.

His Mayoral victory encouraged Blacks throughout the country to register to vote, and marked the end of racial inequality in Chicago politics.

[2] Despite a small steady flow of public money, Tobacco Road Inc., the non-profit manager of the center has had to refinance one of the three mortgages on the property.

As the location of the former Regal Theatre, it played host to the most prominent icons in African-American music such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington regularly.

It was also the former home to famous musicians such as Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller, as well as legendary blues artist Willie Dixon and many more.

[6] The Harold Washington Cultural Center has private corporate meetings rooms, to host workshops, and receptions.

[14] The lobby features two-story windows that admit natural light, marble floors, a black-and-white spiral staircase, which looks like a winding piano keyboard.

The main objective of the center is to "foster an environment that provides children and seniors of the Bronzeville community (and Chicago's south side at large) with hands on technology driven experiences."

The Digital Media Resource Center is sponsored by the Illinois Institute of Technology, Comcast and Advance Computer Technical Group.

[15] The 750 pounds (340 kg) statue shows Mayor Washington looking authoritative in a business suit and tie and talking as if to a committee while clenching a document in his right hand and gesturing with his left.

[2] The grand opening gala featured Roy Ayers leading a 14-piece Harold Washington Cultural Center Orchestra.

[18] In September 2006, the Black United Fund honored Tillman and her daughters Jimalita, Ebony and Gimel at a gala at the center.