Who Is A’Lelia Walker? The Legendary Harlem Socialite Known For Her Epic Parties

Now for the fun stuff. As far as party girl icons go, A'Lelia was most definitely the hostess with the mostest. She expanded her townhouse to the neighboring property and created a plush gathering space known as "The Dark Tower" - it spanned over 30 rooms. 

Throughout the 1920s, her salons rivaled those of Gertrude Stein's in Paris at the time, serving as a raucous revolving door for the artists and luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond (including plenty of European royals). 

Regulars included W.E.B. Du Bois, Alberta Hunter, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson and Langston Hughes, the latter of whom once wrote of her soirees as "filled with guests whose names would turn any Nordic social climber green with envy." Hughes also gave her the delightful nickname "the joy goddess of Harlem."