Tonight, a Tuesday, the Brian Reid Trio goes on at 7:30 p.m. inside a white marble building on East Trinity Place. The building went up in 1935 as Decatur's post office. It is now the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center, and the room hosting the trio is Churchill Grounds, one of Atlanta's best-known jazz clubs. The club closed its Peachtree Street location next to the Fox Theatre in 2016. It reopened in Decatur by October 1 and is running limited seatings before the full center's grand opening in November.
That gives downtown Decatur something it hasn't had before: a ticketed live-music room with a show every night of the week and posted start times. A downbeat at 7:30 or 8 sets the clock for the whole evening, from the dinner reservation, or the lack of one, to the walk over afterward.
A Club With Nearly 30 Years of History, in a New Room
Churchill Grounds opened in 1997. For close to three decades it was one of the few places in Atlanta where you could count on hearing live jazz. The person bringing it back is saxophonist Will Scruggs, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Cornerstone Jazz Collective. Three years ago the collective bought the old post office with support from more than 200 musicians and jazz fans across metro Atlanta. Scruggs has said Churchill Grounds is where he started out as a jazz musician.
The new room holds about 140 people, with 100 seats on the main floor and 40 on a mezzanine. That is small enough that a sold-out show actually means something. William McFarland, associate CEO of Cornerstone Jazz Collective, put the cost of converting the building at an estimated $8.6 million.
The center takes its name from Atlanta-born Mary Lou Williams, a jazz pianist, composer and arranger who lived from 1910 to 1981. She helped shape bebop and mentored Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. Scruggs calls her "the matriarch of bebop" and says she never got the recognition she deserved.
The Weekly Schedule
The club's own visit page posts these hours and set times:
| Day | Doors open | First set |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Tuesday through Thursday | 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 6 p.m. to midnight | 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. |
| Sunday | 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
Friday and Saturday are the only nights with two sets. That makes the 10 p.m. weekend show the natural pick if you want a full dinner somewhere else first. Sunday's 7 p.m. set is the earliest of the week, so it works well when Monday morning comes early.
How Tickets Work
The ticketing rules shape the evening as much as the set times do:
- You can buy tickets online, or at the door starting 30 minutes before a set. The club suggests buying ahead to make sure you get a seat.
- Every ticket comes with a $10 credit toward food and drinks, and there's no minimum purchase.
- If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, your seat may go to someone on the waitlist.
- When a show sells out, a first-come waitlist forms at the door.
October listings we sampled ran from $25 to $50 depending on the show, and the club doesn't post a single standard admission price. Dinner and bar service continue during the shows. On a $25 ticket, the $10 credit covers a good share of a drink or a small plate, which changes the real cost of the night.
The 15-minute rule matters most when you're planning dinner. On a Tuesday, a 7:30 set means you need to be seated by about 7:45. A relaxed sit-down dinner nearby works best if it starts around 6. Doors open at 6, so you can also just eat at the club.
Membership, for Regulars
If you think you'll go more than a few times a year, Churchill offers three membership levels. Early-adopter prices apply through January 1, 2027:
- Cornerstone Club: $240 a year, $300 at the regular rate. Includes members-only events, early access to tickets and 10% off merchandise.
- MLW Supporting Partner: $400 a year, $500 at the regular rate. Extends benefits to immediate family and adds 25% off merchandise and 10% off lessons and workshops at Scruggs Woodwinds.
- Ellington Suite: $4,000 a year, $5,000 at the regular rate. Adds concierge service, priority parking, balcony booking and meet-and-greets with artists.
The Cornerstone Club's $60 early discount comes to roughly two $25 tickets. Joining before the new year makes sense if the first few visits go well.
More of the Building Is Still Opening
Churchill Grounds is the main stage, but Scruggs pictures the whole building as something closer to Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The plan includes performance venues, recording studios, education spaces, a full-service restaurant and a coffee shop. Koolbonga Studios, named after a Mary Lou Williams composition, will offer professional recording space. Scruggs Woodwinds, a retail and repair shop for woodwind instruments, is taking the basement, which the post office once used as a warehouse.
Clavé is the planned Cuban-inspired restaurant. It was expected to be the first tenant open, with daytime-to-evening coffee from a service window facing the outdoor patio. The AJC's early menu preview listed citrus-marinated roast pork with garlic mojo yuca and congrí rice, plus guava cheesecake. Decaturish reported that the restaurant's liquor license was approved. As of early October, its online ordering page said it isn't taking orders yet. Check before you plan dinner around it.
Dinner Before the Downbeat
Several restaurants that opened this year fit around these set times.
Besto, 340 Church St. The Vic Brands team, co-founders Ian Jones and Caleb Wheelus, closed the Decatur location of Victory Sandwich Bar on July 20 and refreshed the space as an American-Italian restaurant and bar. Atlanta magazine reported in early August that it was serving diners. Lunch is counter service with Italian sandwiches and salads. Dinner is full service, with baked ziti, rigatoni bolognese, eggplant parmigiana and chicken Milanese, plus martinis, frozen sgroppino and affogato. Besto is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday and doesn't take reservations. Vic Brands also announced a nightly martini happy hour from 5 to 7, lasagna on Wednesdays and spaghetti dinners on Sundays. Wednesday lasagna before a 7:30 set is about as easy as a weeknight gets, as long as you arrive early enough to beat the walk-in line.
Tous les Jours, 112 W. Trinity Pl., Unit 130. This French-Asian-inspired bakery-cafe sells breads, cakes, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, specialty coffee, smoothies and tea. Its store page lists hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Since it's open until 9, it covers coffee and a pastry before a weeknight set. It also stays open past the start of a Sunday show.
Che Butter Jonez, 627 E. College Ave., Suite D. The burger stand held a "first look" at its new Decatur space on July 4. The menu includes the ODB burger, a smashed lamb burger, beef smash burgers, salmon sandwiches and halal plates. We couldn't confirm current hours, so check before you go.
Opening Later This Fall
A few more places have announced plans but hadn't confirmed opening dates as of this week:
- Muchacho, 129 Church St. Electric Hospitality's casual Cali-Mex concept, with tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas, announced for fall 2026.
- Luga Italian Eatery, 855 Commerce Dr. Chef Robbie Pacheco's restaurant is listed for a fall 2026 opening.
- Condesa Coffee, 743 E. College Ave., Suite 100. A specialty coffee and espresso cafe the company says is opening in fall 2026.
- The Scoop N Scootery, 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Suite D. Founder Austin Crittenden is aiming for November for this ice cream and fast-delivery sundae shop.
If The Scoop N Scootery opens on schedule, it would arrive the same month as the jazz center's grand opening. No exact date has been announced for either.
Keisha Carter grew up in Decatur, and watching a 1935 post office turn into a home for jazz is the kind of local change our team loves to follow. If the work on East Trinity Place has you curious about the history behind Decatur's older buildings, or about what it takes to give a property like that a new life, The KC Real Estate Group would be glad to talk it through. Contact Us.
