Trianon, “World’s Most Beautiful Ballroom”

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This week for Flashback Friday we step back to the era of dancing and luxurious ballrooms with a look at Trianon, hailed as the most beautiful in the world. This phrase was more than just a slogan on a postcard, it was audible on many recordings and broadcasts here.

Trianon postcard back

This card postmarked December 27th, 1943, and sent to Forest McCoy in Yale:

Dear Uncle,

Cecilia (?) and Margarite, Rose and I are here at the Trianon tonight. We visited Garrett (?) and family this evening. I go one day to (?) for a whole month. Ha (?) It’s a little late but I will wish all of you a Happy Christmas.
Love,
Virginia
Maywood, Ill.

Forest McCoy in 1894

Postcard recipient Forest McCoy in 1894. Note flag in background with 45 stars Photo courtesy of Genealogy Trails

The postcard recipient lived in Yale, Illinois (Jasper County) and a page highlighting Jasper County class pictures features a young Forest McCoy in 1894. Given the time frame and sparse population of Jasper County, it’s almost certain that the boy in the photo above is who received this postcard nearly 50 years later.

Opening announcement on December 7th 1922, from Chicago Daily Tribune

Opening announcement on December 7th 1922, from Chicago Daily Tribune

The Ballroom

The Trianon was owned and operated by Greek immigrants Andrew and William Karzas, who rose to success first with a restaurant, then a nickelodeon, and later several movie theaters. Their largest moneymakers, though, were two ballrooms: the Trianon in Woodlawn and the Aragon in Uptown.

On December 6th, 1922, the Trianon opened to the public at 62nd and Cottage Grove.

Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum

Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum

The ballroom was designed by Rapp & Rapp, who created most of the city’s most luxurious and ornately detailed theaters and dance halls, including the Uptown, Riviera, and Cadillac Palace, among others.

The Trianon was the first ballroom in Chicago that required men to wear a coat and tie. And according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, jazz was forbidden, at least initially:

In 1922 the Karzas brothers opened the Trianon at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue with a major society gala, a “no jazz” policy, and floor spotters to police the crowd. Like its North Side sister the Aragon (1926–), the Trianon attracted white lower-middle- and working-class youth. Free of ties to lower-class vice, the Karzas used design and decoration to evoke refinement and luxury for ordinary people while uplifting “dangerous” sexuality to the level of romance.

1926 Miss Chicago at Trianon Ballroom, courtesy of and copyright Chicago Tribune

1926 Miss Chicago at Trianon Ballroom, courtesy of and copyright Chicago Tribune

But its purpose wasn’t limited strictly to music–it hosted a number of other events including Miss Chicago pageant in 1926.

Illustration of Trianon interior, from a Meyer Both Company catalog

Illustration of Trianon interior, from a Meyer Both Company catalog

Though its exterior was modest by comparison to other buildings designed by Rapp & Rapp, the Trianon had an overwhelmingly large and ornate interior, as described in a recent Columbia College of Chicago article:

The Karzas brothers and their financial supporters understood the importance of social dancing, on both national and local levels. Thus their goal was to build the grandest dance floor in existence. The oval–shaped ballroom measured 170 feet long by 100 feet wide. The ceiling was domed and measured fifty feet at its greatest height. Contemporaneous writings suggest that nearly 3,000 people (1,500 couples) could dance at the Trianon, which indicated that dancing, especially in Chicago, was more than a passing fad—it was a type of entertainment that rivaled the popularity of movies, musicals, and vaudeville shows.

–Melanie Zeck, CMBR Digest

The Trianon had its own radio station–WMBB, for World’s Most Beautiful Ballroom. It opened in 1925 and the broadcasting station’s antenna was on the top of the building. In the audio clip above (courtesy of the Internet Archive), Ted Weems’ introduction comes with a reminder of the venue’s importance:

How’s the Night, Ted Weems and his band. From the Maxis (?) Trianon Ballroom in the city of Chicago, modern dance music is your reminder that a merry and modern evening awaits you in the evening of your choice, in the world’s most beautiful ballroom. Ted Weems music from the Trianon comes to you with the compliments of Andrew Karzas. No matter where you’ve been, no matter where you’ve danced, you’ll enjoy beauty and melody, rhythm, and romance at the Trianon.

After a Failure to Adapt, the Trianon Fades

The other ballroom once owned by the Karzas brothers, the Aragon, adapted to serve other purposes when ballroom dancing faded from popularity. The Trianon, however, struggled to find its place in a changing community and lack of demand for big band and dance hall music.

It closed in 1958 and sat vacant for several years before reopening under a new name (El Sid) and a newly renovated exterior. The last gasp for air didn’t last, and it was demolished in 1967 to make way for a housing project.

The Music Plays On

Although the building is gone, many of the recordings from the Trianon/WMBB live on at the Internet Archive and elsewhere. Coast in to your weekend with this 30 minute recording of Kay Kyser performing there, and remember:

No matter where you’ve been, no matter where you’ve danced, you’ll enjoy beauty and melody, rhythm, and romance at the Trianon.

References and further reading:


14 responses to “Trianon, “World’s Most Beautiful Ballroom””

  1. Elsa Pillar says:

    I recently found a picture of my parents taken at the Trianon Ballroom with the message “Souvenir of the Trianon Ballroom Chicago, Ill.” stamped on the bottom of the cardboard picture frame. I remember them dancing at the Aragon, but I don’t remember them talking about the Trianon. It is nice to know something about this ballroom also. Great website. Too bad this ballroom is gone since there is a renewed interest in ballroom dancing.

  2. Evelyn Blanford says:

    This postcard of the Trianon and my mother’s handwriting on the back. Born in 1907 and widowed at age 18, she’d moved to Chigcaog and played banjo in an all girl’s jazz band.
    “This is the place where I do so much dancing on the second floor there is tables on each balcony and they serve all sorts of refreshments.”

  3. Dominic Adducci says:

    …just saw an announcement for new market-rate residential project on the site and bearing the name Trianon Lofts. It brought back the fond stories my mom and dad always had about the Trianon Ballroom which they frequented in their youth. My mother was especially proud that her extremely strict immigrant father allowed her to go to the Trianon because of the policies of owners to police the goings on there as mentioned in the article on this website.

  4. Don Raehl says:

    I remember listing to my radio in the early 1950’s of a broadcast from the Trianon when my parents were dancing there. Eddy Howard and his band were so good to hear.

  5. George Hirai says:

    Back in 1963, I was in a band, Rion and the Renaults, we had just auditioned at Chess recording. We were three white guys, an Italian, and myself, an Asian. Long story short, we got booked into the Trianon and ended up backing Arthur Prysock. We were probably the only non-blacks in the place that night. All we, the remaining members of the band, have are our memories but it would be nice if there were some documentation. Do you have any leads?

    • Mike says:

      I found some ads in the Defender from 1964 with Prysock playing at the Trianon on May 8, then the Roosevelt Ballroom on May 9. Master of ceremonies was WVON’s Franklin McCarthy, and there was another singer, Lucky Laws, on the bill as well. Prior to that, his last Chicago gig was ’62 at the Sutherland Lounge.

  6. Sharon says:

    I love this era! People knew how to have fun without going insane. Both the ballrooms and skating rinks had floor guards to ensure that everyone was well-mannered and well-behaved.

    Dancing will always be fun. This was when there were steps to follow, and not just maniacal movements.

    It was good, clean, fun! We need to bring those days back. It’s called innocence.

  7. ANNE VAN GENDEREN says:

    In 1947 my mother worked there as a waitress, was often asked to wait on band members during their break. When my father died (was killed at Swift and Company) and my mother decided to move from Chicago, she took my brother and me -ages 8 and 9 – to the Trianon to pick up her final pay. When the band heard she was in the house with her two young children, the leader called us up to the stage, had the lead singer sing to us, and gave us presents of swizzle sticks and autographed photos. That fine man went on to become even more popular and beloved. His name – Lawrence Welk

    • Susan Wade says:

      Loved your story, Anne! My parents met there in the 40s – Big Band Era – beautiful music and they could really dance!! :o)

  8. Joe Passini says:

    My Dad danced at the Aragon,Trianon and Edgewater Beach Hotel. He would take the old NSL R.R. in Highwood and go down down to the Chicago Ballrooms. Then after a night of dancing on the Southside off to the Indiana State Dunes beach. Those who didn’t go would have dance parties at home or practice their dance steps listening to the different ballroom broadcasts. All the girls wanted to be on the floor with the best dancers. My Dad looked like a young Andy Garcia and had the moves. He had a box of Love letters with watches and ID brackets that the girls gave him. He would always smile with just the mention of the Old Trianon.

  9. Frankie Niedhammer says:

    My Mom and Dad loved Perry Como, Elmo Tanner and Ted Weems and traveled from Evansville, IN on the Ohio River to Chicago to see them perform, probably in 1936 or 1937.

    I found four postcards from the Trianon with all three autographs on one of them in Mom’s things.

    Sometimes, in the early 1950’s Mom would listen to radio broadcasts of music from Chicago late at night after we kids were supposed to be asleep. She had records of all three artists, which I have kept and still play and think of them.

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