Vanity - Lakeside Ballroom Burns Down - National Register of Historical Places

Echo Press ^ | 6/11/03 | Celeste Beam and Stephanie Peterson

[NormsRevenge]

People who looked on as the Lakeside Ballroom burned down Saturday described the scene as a funeral.

Citizens watched solemnly as Glenwood lost a long-time friend and 94-year presence in the community.

"It was like a visitation; everyone was quiet and taking pictures," said Rachel Barduson, executive director for the Douglas County Historical Society.

[NormsRevenge]

Glenwood loses long-time friend By Stefanie Peterson, Staff Reporter Wednesday, 6/11/03 People who looked on as the Lakeside Ballroom burned down Saturday described the scene as a funeral. Citizens watched solemnly as Glenwood lost a long-time friend and 94-year presence in the community. "It was like a visitation; everyone was quiet and taking pictures," said Rachel Barduson, executive director for the Douglas County Historical Society. Like many others, Barduson waited until after the blaze was tamed to go view the structure’s remains. Merlin Peterson, director for the Pope County Historical Society, said flames can’t destroy what the ballroom represented to the area. "Even though we’ve lost the structure, I don’t think we’ve lost that need for common space," he said. "I think the loss of the building is a temporary setback. We’re social creatures; we need a social space and we still do even though the ballroom is gone." Peterson described JW McCauley, the ballroom’s original operator in 1909, as a "visionary." "He created a space that lent itself to the great memories that we’re all talking about now in Lakeside Ballroom," he said. "I will do what I can to encourage that any new development reflects the legacy that is the Lakeside Ballroom." Marian Iverson of Alexandria was one of many people with stories to tell about times spent at the ballroom. "We had lots of good times dancing to the big bands in the 40s, 50s and 60s," she said. "We would see the posters announcing what big bands were scheduled and when. We would alert the neighbors and several carloads of us would be on the road to Glenwood the nights of the dances." Iverson saw Sammy Kaye, Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk and even danced with Myron Floren at the ballroom. Dancers from the area and as far away as Fergus Falls, St. Cloud, Randall and Dead Lake traveled to the ballroom, she said. "We will truly miss the Lakeside Ballroom and all the good times we had there," she said. The simple structure of the ballroom and those who gathered within it made it unique, Peterson said. "It didn’t get on the National Register of Historical Places because it was architecturally significant," he said. "It wasn’t any different than any other building. It was the people that came and the fact that it was a gathering place that made it special."

  
Echo Press photos by Erin Belisle
Arnold Moe, former manager of the Lakeside Ballroom, and his wife left this bouquet by the remains of the historic community landmark.

  

A bottle of champagne survived the devastating fire at the Lakeside Ballroom. A worker helping clear the site found the bottle and placed it upright in the midst of the rubble.

  
Echo Press photo by Erin Belisle
A sign was still hanging from the deck of the Lakeside Ballroom Monday welcoming fishermen to dock their boats and stop in.

[NormsRevenge]

Up in smoke: Glenwood may rebuild Lakeside Ballroom By Celeste Beam, Staff Reporter Wednesday, 6/11/03 A huge piece of Glenwood’s history went up in smoke last weekend. At 3:25 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, the Glenwood Fire Department was called to a fire at the historic Lakeside Ballroom on the shores of Lake Minnewaska in Glenwood. Almost immediately, fire departments from six nearby towns were called for mutual aid, including Starbuck, Villard, Brooten, Lowry, Forada and Alexandria. At the same time as firefighters were rushing to the blaze, members of a wedding party were making their way to the ballroom to celebrate. But, it was too late for both parties, as the reception hall was already fully engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but foul play has been ruled out. The state fire marshal is investigating the incident. Bob Mattson, the manager of the ballroom and also a Glenwood volunteer firefighter for the past 19 years, reported the fire. He saw a glow in the ceiling on the west edge of the building, according to Glenwood Fire Chief, Jim Suckstorff. Mattson made sure the six patrons and three staff members got out of the building safely, and then he called 911. Mattson said he feared from the onset that a fire could take off quickly in the building because much of its lumber dates back to 1909 and was very dry, giving the building a high fire load. Because of heavy smoke and intense heat, Mattson could not re-enter the building, noted Suckstorff. He added that despite rumors, as far as he knows, nothing inside the building was saved. One positive note, however, is that original autographed photos of legendary musicians are stored at the Pope County Historical Society. After sizing up the situation and venting the roof, Suckstorff said that everything just seemed to explode. "There were objects exploding and falling into the lake," he said. "We were very concerned, so we called the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)." It appears, however, that the lake will be OK, he added. Suckstorff said that, fortunately, the weather didn’t play a major role in contributing to the fire. In fact, he noted that because of the way the wind was blowing, smoke and debris was diverted to the south, toward the lake, instead of the north, where onlookers stood in disbelief as the almost 100-year-old building burned fast and furiously. Firefighters were on scene for nearly 10 hours putting out the blaze and making sure "hotspots" were quickly diminished. Although no injuries were reported, Suckstorff said there were a couple of close calls. After the firefighters arrived on the scene, a group went on top of the roof to ventilate. According to the fire chief, the group of firefighters left the roof just in time — it collapsed right after they got down. Another close call came when one of the dozens of firefighters had an awning fall on him, but Suckstorff noted that the firefighter wasn’t injured. The state fire marshal, Jon Steinbach, was called to the scene and after a preliminary report, ruled out any type of foul play, noted Suckstorff. The fire marshal was back on the scene Monday to do a thorough investigation. According to Glenwood Mayor John Stone, the fire probably started from some electrical circuits near the ceiling. Although total damage estimates may be hard to pinpoint, because of all the nostalgic memorabilia, Suckstorff said the city of Glenwood recently spent $300,000 to get the building back to its original shape. He added that the city council would be meeting with the insurance company this week. The Lakeside Ballroom, built in 1909, is owned by the city of Glenwood and listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. On July 2, a private operator was to begin leasing the ballroom and planned to provide restaurant service along with continuing its use for wedding receptions and large gatherings, according to Stone. He added that the facility was booked with weddings and other events on weekends through 2004. Now the city needs to decide what to do with the remains of the building, which was insured, and whether or not it will rebuild a new ballroom. Stone said he hopes to see the building restored because Glenwood "wouldn’t be the same town without it." The fire chief agreed with Stone and believes the city should rebuild, because a meeting place such as the Lakeside Ballroom was, and is, important to the city of Glenwood. "It’s a shame that the building is gone," stated Suckstorff, "but at least the memories are still there." n Tom Cherveny of the West Central Tribune in Willmar contributed to the story.    Echo Press photos by Celeste Beam A fire raged through the entrance of the historic Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood Saturday afternoon. The building was a total loss. The city of Glenwood is looking into the possibility of rebuilding the ballroom, which was insured.    Echo Press photo by Celeste Beam Firefighters sprayed water into the ceiling of the Lakeside Ballroom, which was built in 1909 and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places as the Lakeside Pavilion.    Echo Press photo by Celeste Beam Fire departments from Glenwood, Brooten, Starbuck, Lowry, Villard, Forada and Alexandria worked for nearly 10 hours on the fire that occurred at the nearly 100-year-old Lakeside Ballroom, located on the shores of Lake Minnewaska.

[NormsRevenge]

Ballroom boasts rich history of big-time bands By Stefanie Peterson, Staff Reporter Wednesday, 6/11/03 Lakeside Ballroom’s history came to an end Saturday but still boasts of big names and good times that can’t be destroyed by flames. Here is a history of the ballroom: 1908 — J.H. McCauley built the Lakeside Pavilion in 1908, salvaging a city owned pavilion from the same site built in 1890. 1909 — Ballroom first opened. 1914 — Oliver "Tuddy" Kaldahl, future operator, began selling concessions. 1918 — The Andrews Sisters played their first gig at the ballroom. They were still in high school and were driven by the parents and paid $25. 1922 — The ballroom held church services for a congregation awaiting their new building. "Talkies," early versions of movies with sounds provided by people behind the screen as well as on a record, were shown. 1928 — Guy Lombardo played at the ballroom. 1929 — Lawrence Welk played at the ballroom for a $70 payment. 1930s — Ballroom began opening for several winter dates but continued to remain mostly closed during the cold months. 1939 — Kaldahl and Harold Brundin entered into a partnership to operate the ballroom. 1939 — Operators began hiring more local acts because big names were too expensive. 1940 — Operators built onto the ballroom to provide extra seating. 1950 — Louis Armstrong played at the ballroom for a $2,000 payment. A $2.50 admission was imposed to cover the cost. 1978 — Dwayne Peterson and Bob Disrud operated the ballroom. 1987 — Carole Peterson took over ballroom operations. 1989 — Arnold Moe became the operator. 1999 — Ballroom was named to the National Register of Historic Places. 2000 — Ballroom was closed until March for renovations and restorations. 2000 — Bobby Benson operated the ballroom. 2001 — Gordy Wagner became the operator. 2002 — Bob Mattson became the operator. 2003 — Lakeside Ballroom burned down on Saturday, June 7. A transcribed interview with operators Harold Brundin and Oliver "Tuddy" Kaldahl on January 22, 1978 revealed several interesting facts about the ballroom. Wednesday and Friday nights were devoted to modern dancing, while Tuesday nights were reserved for old time dancing. Musicians passing through would often book last minute gigs at the ballroom for Monday nights. WCCO often conducted live radio broadcasts from the ballroom and big name bands occasionally were broadcast over CBS radio. In the interview, Kaldahl said several musicians left an impression that lasted longer than their performance. He remembered that Louis Armstrong had an employee hired solely for applying salve to his lips because they were so chapped from constantly blowing into his trumpet. Armstrong told Kaldahl he also met with a doctor in New York every five weeks for the doctor to cut calluses directly off his lips. Kaldahl also remembered when Sammy Kaye stopped to play at the ballroom on his way through the Midwest. The owners paid him $1,750 to come but forgot that weekend was deer season. Only 180 people showed up to the ballroom that night and Kaldahl said 150 of them were "deer widows." n Compiled from information provided by the Douglas and Pope County historical societies.    Echo Press photo by Celeste Beam A plume of black smoke billowed from the Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood Saturday afternoon. The fire appeared to have started in the ceiling on the west side of the building.

[JimVT]

in Glenwood.

Interesting story.

Wanna tell us where Glenwood is?

[NormsRevenge]

This is pure vanity. 8-) Thanks

We all have places we remember going to when we were kids and as we grew thru the teen years into adulthood.

This ballroom was a magnet for a lot of folks over the years in West Central Minnesota.

I would imagine a few FReepers in the area have been there. Many of the greats and not so greats used to play there, from swing bands to rock and roll. I don't know how many wedding dances and parties were held there.

The Andrews ssisters before they big started here, Louis Armstrong played here, Lawrence Welk and Sammy Kaye too.

I will always have fond memories that the flames will never take away. Goodbye, old friend.

[NormsRevenge]

Louis Armstrong had an employee hired solely for applying salve to his lips because they were so chapped from constantly blowing into his trumpet.

Armstrong told Kaldahl he also met with a doctor in New York every five weeks for the doctor to cut calluses directly off his lips.

Ouch!

[nutmeg]

read later bump

[NormsRevenge]

West Central Minnesota, halfway between Fargo, North Dakota and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The city sits on the shores of Lake Minnewaska, a lake full of walleye pike amongst other fresh water fish.

It was just another place that was a good place to raise a family.

[yooper]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong fellow Freepers, but wasn't this place a gig on Buddy Holly's last tour ("Winter Dance Party")?