The 90-year-old Apollo Theatre is known for launching the careers of artists including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Gladys Knight, and Machine Gun Kelly, among several others|Pablo Costa Tirado|CC BY-SA 3.0

For the first time in Kennedy Center Honors’ history, a venue, Harlem’s Apollo Theater, received the prestigious arts accolade on Sunday.

Stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle and singer Queen Latifah paid tribute to Apollo, hailing it as the birthplace of timeless Black artistry. Chappelle jokingly recounted being booed off the Apollo stage at 15 years old.

Other Kennedy Center honorees this year include film director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, blues rock singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, and the music band The Grateful Dead.

The theater opened in 1914 but was shut down in the 1930s. When it reopened in 1934, Apollo introduced Amateur Night, which saw unknowns become stars. The 90-year-old theatre is known for launching the careers of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Gladys Knight, and Machine Gun Kelly, among several others.

The ceremony will air on CBS on December 22.