The Stadtgarten is situated on the north-west corner of downtown Cologne. This building replete with tradition has been run and managed by the Initiative Kölner Jazz Haus e.V. as a cultural center equipped with dining facilities since 1984.

As soon as the association was founded in the year 1978, it began its search for suitable accomodations in which to present and develop contemporary improvised music. This non-profit-making association discovered the vacant building as early as 1979. A final leasehold contract for the next 50 years was concluded with the City of Cologne in 1985.

In the meantime, the structure of the old building had deteriorated to such an extent that the association and its "relative", the Stadtgarten Restaurant-Betriebs GmbH, had to raise a substantial amount of money (approx. three million deutschmarks) to reconstruct and restore the building to its present state. Today the musicians' association essentially derives the funds to operate its cultural enterprise from three sources. First from the income from admission tickets to concerts. Second by renting its restaurant facilities to the Stadtgarten Restaurant-Betriebs GmbH and third by collaborating closely with the local broadcasting corporation Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).

In addition to the cultural enterprises in the Stadtgarten the association also has its own recording company (Jazz Haus Musik), a school for popular and improvised music (Offene Jazz Haus Schule) and is involved in an effort to represent its interests by participating in various cultural and political commitees.