Prom Ballroom (1941 - 1987)

On the first night, six thousand people packed the dance floor and danced to the sounds of Glenn Miller and his orchestra. An additional three thousand people were turned away. It was only the beginning. Soon people came from all over to dance to the sounds of the Prom's house band, the Northwest Orchestra, every Wednesday through Sunday night. Acclaimed bands, local and national, played the Prom on special nights.

Soon packed streetcars pulled up to the Prom every dance night. Those same cars often departed the venue empty, as crowds of people made their way inside. Extra streetcars often had to be sent out to ensure everyone who came to the Prom could make the necessary transfer downtown to get home safely.

The Jules Herman Orchestra became the Prom's house band in 1952. The eleven-piece troupe was led by Lawrence Welk's former trumpet player Jules Herman and included his wife, Lois (Best). Lois, who sang and played the organ, was Welk's first official Champagne Lady.

Great music was always synonymous with the Prom. Throughout its history, the ballroom was home to some of the era's greatest musicians. People came and danced the night away in front of luminaries like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more. On January 28, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson performed in one of the last shows before their tragic passing on "The Day the Music Died."

The Prom was also known for outlandish promotions, none more famous than the 'Live Baby Dance.' That night a newborn baby was to be raffled to one lucky (and married) Minnesota couple (eligible to adopt). A nurse was on stage as the winning raffle numbers were announced, and St. Paul's City Welfare Department was in the crowd, ready to arrest promoter Harry Given. The 'baby' turned out to be a piglet.

As the ballroom entered the 1960s, attendance began to fall. The Interstate Highway System moved people into the suburbs. Commuters drove to work and then back home at the end of the day. Entertainment no longer required them to live in the city. To the immediate south, Interstate 94 pulled large amounts of auto traffic off University and onto the freeway.

The big band music that brought the previous generation to their feet also became less popular. The Prom had to make changes to survive. The owners, under the direction of Harry Given, began a catering business. Dances, once offered five nights a week, were now scheduled with much less frequency.

Sunday nights became orchestra nights, and special events were held during the week. In the eyes of the Prom's owners, the "tail (had been) wagging the dog," and the proposed changes would be good for the business. The Prom's catering business soon expanded, and mobile kitchens and off-site catering popped up in the Twin Cities.

Eventually, the building began to show its age. In the 1980s, St. Paul officials required owner Harry Given to make nearly a million dollars in restorations to bring the venue up to city code. That, along with hefty property tax bills, more than $80,000 in 1983 and nearly $55,000 in 1984, spelled the end of the Prom.

Given tried to sell the building to someone who would carry on the ballroom's legacy but could not find a taker. Eventually, he sold it to Rainbow Foods founder Sid Applebaum, who sold the space to Ryan Companies, a Twin Cities developer. They soon after slated the building for demolition and the area for redevelopment.

On April 17, 1987, shortly before the scheduled demolition of the Prom, legendary 'Cab' Calloway performed for a crowded dance floor at the aptly named "Wrecking Ball" event. Long-time orchestra director Jules Herman led a ten-piece troupe through the final song. At eleven o'clock that night, crowds began to leave the venue for the last time.

A couple of weeks later, the building that was home to nearly fifty years of music history was torn down.