The Rainbow Ballroom was a dance hall in Denver, Colorado that was one of the best known dance halls west of the Mississippi, according to a 1946 Billboard article."Norton, Deyer Buy Rainbow at Denver", Billboard, pg. 17, col. 1, Dec. 14, 1946 (the article misspells Beyer's surname as "Deyer") Its capacity of 3,000 made it the largest indoor dance hall in Colorado during its 28 years of existence — from its opening day on September 16, 1933, to its closing day in 1961.
History In 1933, its owner and charter member of the Midwestern Ballroom Operators' Association (MBOA),Billboard Magazine Orlaf K. Farr hired Rudolph Michael Schindler, a well-known architect, to convert the existing arena amusement hall that had been built in 1927 into configuration more suitable to accommodate a dance floor. Farr operated Rainbow Ballroom since its opening until selling in December 1946 to Felix Bernard Beyer Obituary: Felix B. Beyer, Denver Post, Oct. 12, 1977Obituary: Felix B. Beyer, Rocky Mountain News, pg. 14, Oct. 8, 1977 and James Raymond Norton. Verne Byers, Felix Beyer's son, became manager of the Rainbow Room January 24, 1947. Byers continued the past policy of booking territory bands and name bands. In 1948, James Norton purchased Felix Beyer's interest in the ballroom and then leased it for 10 years to Joseph Leher. At some point in the 1950s, Joseph Leher purchased the Rainbow Ballroom.Denver's Ballroom Owner Puts Rainbow to Lot of Uses, The Billboard, pg 41, col. 1, Dec. 17, 1955
In its heyday, the ballroom was open six nights a week, play host venue for national big bands (often referred to as orchestras) and territory bands. The bands included:
Louis Armstrong's Big Band (with Sid Catlett)Roy Porter, David Keller, There and Back, The Roy Porter Story, pg 30, Louisiana State University Press (1991) Clyde Knight Orchestra (1941)Local Scrappings, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pg 21, Col 2, Dec. 29, 1941 Les Brown Verne Byers and His Orchestra (1949 for 17 weeks) Duke Ellington (1952, 53)Ken Vail, Duke's Diary: The life of Duke Ellington, 1950-1974, Sanctuary Publishing Ltd (2008) Fletcher Henderson Sammy Kaye (Swing and sway with Sammy Kaye and his orchestra) Lawrence Welk (1936)Mary Lewis Coakley (1907-1995), Mr. Music Maker, Lawrence Welk, Doubleday, (1958) Wayne King Harry James Al Sky and His Musical Stars (1930s) Little Joe Hart and his Boys (1937) Kay Barclay and Her California All-Girl Orchestra (1937) Tiny Hill Woody Herman Bobby Beers Don Reid Orchestra Billy Eckstine Carl (The Squeakin' Deacon) Moore Ralph Flanagan Orchestra (1954) Joe Houston (1954) Benny Goodman The Dean Bushnell Orchestra Lalo Guerrero Stan Kenton (1954) Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (1954) Bennie Moten (1935) Johnny Otis (1954) Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy (with Mary Lou Williams) (1935, 1940) Frank Driggs, Chuck Haddix, Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop – A History, pg. 1938, Oxford University Press (2005) Seger Ellis (1940) Lefty Frizzell (1953) Lionel Hampton Gene Ammons Illinois Jacquet Tab Smith (1955) Chuck Berry (1959) Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra (1959) Phil Urso and His Quintet (1959)
1959 race riot In July 1959, a race riot broke out during a Fats Domino concert/dance when an unidentified man kicked over the table of a man and woman who had just finished a dance – the man was African American and the woman was Caucasian. It took more than an hour to quell the disturbance, which drew 18 police patrol cars, three police paddy wagons, and an ambulance. Police estimated that were 2,500 people in the ballroom during the disturbance and that 40 different fights were going on when they arrived. The concert promoter, LeRoy Smith estimated that 1,600 were in attendance and that only 4 fights had broken out. There were no serious injuries or damage to the ballroom. No arrests were made.Rock 'n' Roll Riot Hospitalizes Two, Stars and Stripes, July 29, 1959Fight Breaks Out at Domino's Show, Greeley Daily Tribune, col. 4, pg. 16, July 27, 1959.
Closing and current use The Rainbow Ballroom closed in 1961.Barbara Norgren, Dianna Litvak, Dawn Bunyak, West Washington Park Neighborhood, Denver, Colorado, Reconnaissance Survey and History Report, April 2002 Subsequent to its closing as a ballroom, the building was used as a demonstration chamber for missiles by Martin Company, then a warehouse. After years of abuse and neglect, the red brick building was renovated in 2002 into offices by the architectural firm of Sink Combs Dethlefs.Dick Kreck, "Ballroom Takes a New Turn", The Denver Post, Sect. A, pg 2, March 20, 2002 The renewed facility serves as the national headquarters for the architectural firm and is shared with several businesses. The entrance is at 475 N Lincoln Street.
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