Casa Loma Ballroom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Casa Loma Ballroom |
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| Former names | Cinderella Recreation Hall and Dance Academy Showboat Ballroom |
| General information | |
| Address | 3354 Iowa Avenue St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Opened | 1927 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 18,000 ft |
The Casa Loma Ballroom is a famous old dance hall in St. Louis, Missouri. You can find it at 3354 Iowa Avenue, in a part of the city called Gravois Park. It's a place where people have been dancing and having fun for a very long time!
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The Story of Casa Loma
The building that is now Casa Loma Ballroom first opened in 1927. It was called the Cinderella Recreation Hall and Dance Academy back then. Later, it changed its name to the Showboat Ballroom.
In 1935, two people named Art Kawell and H. J. "Nap" Burian bought the ballroom. They gave it the name Casa Loma Ballroom, which it still has today.
This ballroom was known as a place where everyone could enjoy dancing, even if they didn't have a lot of money. Its prices were lower than other dance halls in St. Louis.
Famous Performers and Broadcasts
During the 1940s, the Casa Loma Ballroom was a very popular spot. Live music from the ballroom was even broadcast on national radio stations like Mutual and CBS! This meant people all over the country could listen to the amazing bands playing there.
Many famous musicians and entertainers have performed at Casa Loma. Some of the big band leaders included Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw. Even Frank Sinatra sang there with Harry James's band in 1939! Other stars like Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, and Andy Williams also stopped by.
The "Floating" Dance Floor
On January 19, 1940, a fire broke out at Casa Loma. But don't worry, it reopened later that same year! When it was rebuilt, it got a special new feature: a huge "floating" dance floor. This floor is made of maple wood on top of a layer of rubber, which makes it feel bouncy and fun to dance on.
The ballroom is very large, with 18,000 square feet of space. It also has a balcony where you can look down at all the dancers below.
Casa Loma Today
The Casa Loma Ballroom is the only historic dance hall left in St. Louis. Patrick and Roseann Brannon have owned it since the early 1990s.
Today, it's still a lively place! You can hear many types of music there, like swing, big band, jazz, and rock and roll. Before the live music starts, you can often take dance lessons. They teach different styles such as ballroom, waltz, fox trot, tango, Latin, and swing dancing.
The Casa Loma Ballroom is also used for private parties and other public events, continuing its long tradition as a place for fun and celebration in St. Louis.
