Clark Monroe opened the Uptown House in the 1930s at 198 West 134th St in Harlem, in a building which formerly held Barron's Club (where Duke Ellington worked early in the 1920s) and the Theatrical Grill.
From the late 1930s, the club presented swing jazz; Billie Holiday held a residence there for three months in 1937.
In the early 1940s, the club became known for its jam sessions, where many of the players involved in the birth of bebop played together.
Al Tinney led Monroe's house band, which included Max Roach, "Little" Benny Harris, George Treadwell, and Victor Coulsen.
An important live recording of Charlie Christian features a jam "session at Monroes".