Multi-genre writer and indie author with a BA in Eng Journalism & Creative Writing. My working career has been in law firms. Thinker, giver, and lover of life and retired early to be a writer. Born into Air Force service life, life has taken me to Louisiana, Idaho, Kauai, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Missouri. I love family, art, reading, history, true crime, travel, and research.
From dancing to skating to top concert performers, this historic venue lives.
The old El Torreon Ballroom is now part of the National Register of Historic Places as of January 3, 2022. This building located at 3101 Gillham Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri is definitely historic.
The El Torreon Ballroom opened in 1927 and not too far off, it will be 100 years old. Jazz performers such as Cab Calloway and Count Basie added style to its ballroom during the jazz era on the upper ballroom floor.
Large events took place on the lower floor. This went on during the 1920s and 1930s.
The ballroom hosted rock ‘n roll in the 1950s. It also supported a roller skating rink for years.
From 1971 to 1974, it was the Cowtown Ballroom. It’s a wow moment to go through the list of performers who performed there. Click here to see that list. Rory Gallagher with his “Livin’ Like a Trucker” was there in 1974.
When the Cowtown Ballroom closed, the large and heavy mirror ball that used to hang at El Torreon went to the Kansas City Museum. In December 2021, the museum brought the mirror ball back to life after years of renovation were taking place at the museum.
In The Kansas City Museum Has Reopened After A Restoration Process That Took Over A Decade — And It’s Nearly Unrecognizable In Its New Form, writer Mary Hen shares the following intriguing detail about the mirror ball:
The image below from about 1947 shows the old mirror ball.
Today, El Torreon is a historic venue for your event including weddings. In January 2022, it was reported in kansascitymag.com that the current owner, Bridgeport Church, which had already been hosting special events, is planning a major project to renovate and restore the ballroom upstairs back to a music venue. I found it very interesting to learn that prohibition tunnels were discovered in the basement.
After Bridgeport Church acquired the building, a portion of the roof collapsed due to a storm. A staircase was crushed. It’s hoped that the upstairs ballroom will reopen by 2024 for live music. Until then, it provides a classy historic venue for your event.
The below video provides some good history on the mirror ball that’s now on display at the Kansas City Museum. Also at the museum are Cowtown Ballroom concert posters on the third floor.
Thanks for reading!
Multi-genre writer and indie author with a BA in Eng Journalism & Creative Writing. My working career has been in law firms. Thinker, giver, and lover of life and retired early to be a writer. Born into Air Force service life, life has taken me to Louisiana, Idaho, Kauai, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Missouri. I love family, art, reading, history, true crime, travel, and research.
More from CJ Coombs
This historic U.S. Post Office (pictured above) was built between the years 1910 and 1912. It's located at 101 N. Folger Street in Carrollton, Missouri (Carroll County). The architectural style is Second Renaissance Revival. It's a rectangular two-story building and has a full basement and attic. On May 12, 1977, this building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
This two-story red brick house (pictured above) was built in 1840. That was over 182 years ago. The foliage on the trees in front of the house turns red in the fall, and the sidewalk in front of this house is made of red brick.
Macon, Missouri is full of history and apparently, mystery too. Butch Patrick, pictured above and in case you didn’t know, was the child star actor who portrayed Eddie Munster from 1964–1966 in the television series, The Munsters.
Correction: A last brief and necessary paragraph was added because I just learned this house was demolished, sadly. The Wardell House is located at 1 Wardell Road in Macon Missouri (Macon County). This historic home was built in 1890–that's 132 years ago. The architectural style of this three-story dwelling is Queen Anne. The house includes a basement and a verandah as well as an open tower on the second and third stories. In 1986, this house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to Globuya, an internet worldwide directory, the oldest record store in the United States is in Kirksville, Missouri called Rinehart's Music & Video which has been selling records since 1897.
Have you ever wondered where the oldest theatres in the world are? If you live in Kansas, my neighboring state, you have one in Ottawa. It's called Plaza 1907 which was formerly known as The Plaza Grill and Cinema, Crystal Plaza, and The Bijou.
The Edina Double Square Historic District in Edina, Missouri (Knox County) is a national historic district. It contains 37 buildings in the central business that contribute to the historic district. The buildings were developed between around 1865 and 1945. The architectural styles include Italianate and Streamline Moderne. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and 2002, which included a boundary increase.
Hotel Sansone (now The Sterling) is located in Springfield, Missouri (Greene County). This historic building is located at 312 Park Central East) near the city's public square. This four-story building was built in 1911. The architectural style is American Craftsman. In 2000, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When this show first appeared on television, it was a special showing. Because of the success it received, it came back as a regular series the following year. It was so popular. The show's name was a play on words from the hippie days such as love-ins or sit-ins.
The City of Downing is located in Schuyler County, Missouri. It's part of the Kirksville Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, the population was 300.
The Shelby–Nicholson–Schindler House is located at 701 W. St. Joseph Street in Perryville, Missouri (Perry County). The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1974. It is privately owned. For many photos, including beautiful garden images, click here for the Facebook site of the home.
‘Muscles car’ is used to describe many powerful, high-performance vehicles. While people have definite opinions about what qualifies as a muscle car and what doesn’t, the time usually applies to two-door, rear-wheel-drive, small to midsize vehicles with large, powerful eight-valve (V8) engines. (Source.)
Unionville Square Historic District in Unionville, Missouri (Putnam County) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 2002. It is also a National Historic District. There are many buildings and a contributing structure that compose the central business district of Unionville.
The Waddell "A" Truss Bridge, originally known as the Linn Branch Creek Bridge, is an example of a bridge designed by Canadian native, John Alexander Low Waddell. The original bridge was associated with a railroad bridge made in 1898 near Trimble, Missouri. It was converted into a pedestrian bridge and relocated in 1987 to the English Landing Park in Parkville, Missouri (Platte County).
The Sickles Tavern (also known as Hickory Inn and has been spelled as "Sickels") is located NW of Wayland off of State Highway C in Missouri (Clark County). On October 22, 1979, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Clark County is the northeasternmost tip of Missouri.
The St. Louis Motor Carriage Company was founded in 1898 by George Preston Dorris, Sr., vice-president and senior engineer, and president, John L. French. This company manufactured automobiles at 1211–13 North Vandeventer Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. From 1899 to 1907, it was the first of many companies in St. Louis making automobiles. The horseless carriage, the St. Louis, was developed at this company and the vehicles had the advertisement slogan of Rigs that Run.
The Slatten House is also referred to as Slatten Thousand Acres. It's located near Bethany, Missouri in Harrison County. The Italianate house sits on a square of 1,000 acres. The history of this property being passed down from generation to generation has so much to say in itself. The home is now privately owned.
The Rulo Bridge spans the Missouri River on U.S. Route 159. It crosses over from Holt County, Missouri to Richardson County, Nebraska, and the eastern boundary of Rulo. The Rulo Bridge spans the Missouri River on U.S. Route 159. It crosses over from Holt County, Missouri to Richardson County, Nebraska, and the eastern boundary of Rulo.
France-born artistic talent is seen in northwestern Missouri. In 1980, the Gentry County Courthouse in Albany, Missouri was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Albany (originally named Athens) is also the county seat. It's another stunning and historical courthouse. The architectural firm that designed the courthouse was Eckel & Mann which designed other public buildings in northwest Missouri. The architectural design is listed as High Victorian or Ruskinian Gothic.
The historic courthouse in Worth County located in Grant City, Missouri was built in 1898-1899. The rectangular two-and-a-half-story courthouse is a brick building supporting the architectural styles of Classical Revival and Renaissance Revival. The architects were Orff and Guilbert from Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1983, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
