Past Ballrooms

Ballrooms of the Past
This page dedicated to Lon A. Gault
It is generally accepted that the end of World War I marked the upswing in ballrooms across the country. Ballrooms refer to all those establishments, whether called pavillions, parks, or just dance halls, where large crowds would gather to dance to the new music of the times. Although ballrooms have long been associated with the Big Bands, it was the Jazz Age where many of them got their start. The 30’s and 40’s were undoubtedly the highpoint of the ballroom era, and ironically, it was the end of World War II that also saw the downswing in the number of ballrooms across the United States. Many ballrooms remained quite prominent through the 50’s and into the 60’s. But by the later 60’s changing times began to take a heavy toll on these popular dance locales. Ballrooms could be elegant or plain. They could be in the biggest cities or in the smallest rural area of the country. But they all shared a common denominator of music and dancing. For many decades the ballroom was the dominate place for social gatherings. These *nights at the dances* still provide many generations with their fondest memories. It is the intention of this page to help preserve the memory of those ballrooms that are no longer with us.
Can you help us? Pictured right is believed to be Chris Connor performing with the Stan Kenton Band in the early 1950's. Can you identify the ballroom? email answer to: nbea@oneota.net Thank You
We welcome your contribution to the list below of ballrooms that no longer exist. We are not listing ballrooms that are currently operational. We also welcome any corrections, including spellings, of the listings below. Please send your contribution to: nbea@oneota.net Thank you.
Please visit the NBEA Homepage. Listings are by state and city.
CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT FLORIDA GEORGIA IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY MAINE MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSOURI NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NEW YORK OHIO OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WISCONSIN

CALIFORNIA Balboa Rendevous Ballroom Hollywood Sunset Ballroom Los Angeles Palomar Night Club Coconut Grove Goldberg-Bosley Ballroom Hollywood Palladium Zenda Ballroom Oakland Ali Baba Ballroom Sweet's Ballroom Ocean Park Casino Gardens Pomona Rainbow Gardens Ballroom San Diego Mission Beach Dance Casino Pacific Square San Francisco Avalon Balconades/Wolohans El Patio Palamara Shalimar The Pergola Trianon/Primalon Ballroom Santa Monica Aragon Ballroom La Monica Ballroom Venice Beach Aragon Ballroom COLORADO Denver Elitch Gardens Rainbow El Patio Trocadero Ballroom Lakeside Amusement Park CONNECTICUT Bridgeport Pleasure Beach Amusement Park Ritz Ballroom Ellington Crystal Lake Ballroom FLORIDA Miami Flagler Gardens Ballroom GEORGIA Tybee Island Tybrisa Ballroom IDAHO Boise Fiesta Ballroom Miramar Ballroom Trocadaro ILLINOIS Aurora Blue Moon Benld Coliseum Ballroom Chicago Allegro Ballroom Boston Club Boulevard Ballroom Edgewater Embassy Ballroom Green Mill Holiday Ballroom Lion's Ballroom Majestic Ballroom Melody Mill Milford Ballroom Paladium Paradise Ballroom Pilsen Park Savoy Ballroom Shutter Brothers Ballroom Trianon Ballroom Edelstein Hub Ballroom Galesburg Arcade Roof Garden Macomb - Roof Gardens Joliet Dellwood Park Dance Pavilion Pioneer Gardens North Riverside Melody Mill Peoria Ingleterra Ballroom Westchester Edens Ballroom INDIANA Bass Lake Crystal Ballroom Cedar Lake Midway Ballroom Clinton Aragon Ballroom Fairview Park Lincoln Park Dance Pavilion Huson Lake Blue Lantern Michigan City Oasis Ballroom Whiting Madura's Danceland IOWA Carter Lake Warehouse Cedar Rapids Danceland Clinton Modernistic Ballroom German Hall Shad Oak Creston Aronda Decorah Matter's Ballroom Des Moines Riviera Ballroom Sycamore Ballroom Tromar Ballroom Dubuque Melody Mill Hartley Danceland Independence Gala Ballroom Janesville Riviera Ballroom Lake View Swing-Lan (at Lake Wood Amusement Park) Marion Armar Ballroom Oelwein Coliseum Ballroom Praireburg Praire Moon Riverside Highland Palace Sioux City Rigadoon Tomba Skylon Spirit Lake Arnold's Park Storm Lake Cobblestone Ballroom Ten Mile Rainbow Gardens Waterville Rainbow Gardens KANSAS Croweburg Trianon Ballroom Topeka Meadow Acres Wichita Ritz Ballroom Trig Ballroom New Moon Ballroom KENTUCKY Henderson Trocadero Louisville Madrid Ballroom Topeka Meadow Acres MAINE Old Orchard Beach Palace Ballroom Pier Casino Ballroom MARYLAND Baltimore Famous Ballroom Alcazar Ballroom MASSACHUSETTS Agawam (Riverside Amusement Park) Crystal Ballroom Auburndale The Totem Pole Boston Raymor Ballroom (Raymor-Plamor) Roseland State Ballroom Symphony Ballroom Holyoke Roseland Ballroom Mountain Park Ballroom (at Amusement Park) Lowell Commadore Ballroom Methuen Merrimack Amusement Park & Dance Hall Roseland Ballroom Nantasket Beach, Hull Paragon Park Ballroom North Andover Crystal Ballroom Ocean Grove Ocean Grove Dance Pavillion Onset Onset Casino Revere Roll Away Ballroom South Dartmouth Lincoln Park Ballroom Springfield Butterfly Ballroom Taunton Roseland Ballroom Tyngsboro Lake View Ballroom Waltham Nuttings-On-The-Charles Wayland Ten Acres Ballroom Wrentham King Phillip Ballroom MICHIGAN Brighton (Island Lake) Blue Lantern Dance Hall Coloma Crystal Palace Ballroom Detroit Aragon Arcadia Bob-Lo Island Pavilion Campus Castle Eastwood Garden (or Eastwood Park Dance Hall?) Grand Terrace Graystone Ballroom Jefferson Beach Dance Hall Merry Gardens Ballroom New Danceland Pier Ballroom The Grande Vanity Ballroom Lupton Graceland Ballroom Manitov Beach Manitov Beach Ballroom Paw Paw Crystal Ballroom Saugatuck Big Pavilion St. Joseph Shadowland Pavilion Walled Lake Walled Lake Casino MINNESOTA Austin Terp Avon Lakeview Coliseum Brownton Lake Marion Ballroom Cottage Grove Majestic Ballroom Delavan Bass Lake Pavilion Ellsworth Red Roof Ballroom Ghent Ted's Ballroom Hatfield Hollyhock Ballroom Kasota Crystal Ballroom Lake Benton Showboat Ballroom Lake Jefferson Hardeggers Ballroom Lismore The Ritz Marshall Blue Moon Ballroom Minneapolis Arcadia Ballroom Marigold Ballroom Montevideo Fiesta Ballroom Gladys Ballroom Moundsview Bel Rae Ballroom Pipestone Playmor Ballroom Princeton Princeton Ballroom Renville Palms Ballroom Rochester Pla Mor Ballroom St. Paul The Prom Sioux Valley Log Cabin Ballroom Worthington The Coliseum MISSOURI Kansas City El Torreon Ballroom La Fiesta Ballroom Pla Mor Ballroom St. Louis Tunetown NEBRASKA Arcadia Owl's Roost Bee State Ballroom Clarks Havens Grand Island Glovera Ballroom Harrington Skylon Hastings Winter Garden Lincoln Turnpike Ballroom Long Pine Hidden Paradise Norfolk Kings Ballroom Omaha Dreamland Ballroom Royal Terrace Ballroom Peony Park Sokol Underground Music Box Sargent Oscar's Palladium Shelby Kings Ballroom Sioux City Mr. Tunes Wahoo Dance Island Ballroom NEW HAMPSHIRE Manchester The Arcadia Salem Canobie Lake Park Ballroom NEW JERSEY Almonesson Sunset Beach Ballroom Atlantic City Million Dollar Pier Steel Pier Marine Ballroom Cape May Convention Hall Ballroom Cedar Grove Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook Oaklyn Oaklyn Dancette Ballroom Ocean City Garden Pier Ballroom Pennsauken Ivystone Ballroom Weirs Beach Winnipesaukee Gardens Wildwood Starlite Ballroom NEW YORK Buffalo Dellwood Ballroom Crystal Ballroom Johnson City George F. Johnson Pavilion New York Fiesta Danceteria Savoy Ballroom Richfield Springs Canadarago Park Pavillion Stardust Sylvan Beach Russell's Danceland Utica Greystone Ballroom NEVADA Reno El Patio Ballroom OHIO Akron Summit Beach Park Ballroom Buckeye Lake Pier Ballroom Crystal Ballroom Canton Moonlight Ballroom Cincinnati Castle Farm Moonlite Garden Cleveland Aragon Ballroom Euclid Beach Ballroom Chipawa Ballroom Circle Ballroom Puritas Springs Amusement Park Ballroom Trianon Ballroom Columbia Station Columbia Ballroom Columbus Valley Dale Geneva Pier Ballroom Lakewood Homestead Ballroom Lorain Banater Hall Newark (vicinity) Buckeye Lake Ballroom Rootstown Maples Ballroom Russels Pointe Stardust Ballroom Sandusky Cedar Point Amusement Park Toledo Trianon Ballroom Youngstown Idora Park Ballroom OKLAHOMA Maud White Way Ballroom Muskogee Gibson's Ballroom Oakmulge The Hippodrome Shawnee The Bluebird OREGON Salem Crystal Gardens Ballroom PENNSYLVANIA Allentown Castle Garden Ballroom Carrolltown Sunset Pavilion Hershey Starlight Ballroom Mahanoy City Danceland Westview Park Lakewood Pavilion Philadelphia Brookline on the Boulevard Chez Vous Elite Ballroom Garden Ballroom Oakes Ballroom Met Ballroom Raburn Plaza Trianon Ballroom Wagner Hall Ballroom Pittsburgh Aragon Bill Green's Casino Cottage Inn Garden Plantation The JitterbugSavoyThe Grotto Syrian Mosque Sommerton Sommerton Springs Ballroom Upper Darby Chez Vous Covered Wagon Ballroom Willow Grove Willow Grove Park Ballroom York Valencia Ballroom RHODE ISLAND Crescent Park, Riverside Alhambra Ballroom Narragansett Pier Narraganset Pier Casino Providence Arcadia Ballroom Rocky Point, Warwick Neck Rocky Point Palladium Ballroom TENNESSEE Memphis Casino Ballroom TEXAS Galveston Pleasure Pier Lake Worth Casino Ballroom San Antonio Roaring 20's UTAH Salt Lake City Saltaire Amusement Park Terrace Ballroom VIRGINIA Richmond Tantilla Ballroom Virginia Beach Casino Ballroom (later Peppermint Beach Club) Seaside Park Ballroom WASHINGTON Chimacum Rhododendron Ballroom Port Angeles Clyde's Ballroom Seattle/Tacoma Spanish Castle Seattle Encore Ballroom Parker's Ballroom Trianon Ballroom Spokane Natatorium Ballroom Tacoma Century Ballroom WISCONSIN Appleton Cinderella Ballroom Eau Claire Fournier's Ballroom Lake Delaven Dutch Mill Lake Geneva Riviera Ballroom Milwaukee Wisconsin Roof Ballroom