Trianon Ballrooms
Encyclopedia
The Trianon Ballrooms were located in a number of cities during America's bigband era. The most prominent Trianon was in Chicago, Illinois, but there were others as well, located in places such as Cleveland, Philadelphia, Seattle, Toledo, and the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate. Although they shared a common name, there is no indication that they shared common ownership or management; perhaps later ballrooms were simply identifying with the original.

The location in Chicago at 6201 Cottage Grove Avenue was the origination point for many live broadcasts on Chicago radio station WGN. The South Gate Trianon was owned by band leader Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television through the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Born in Alameda, California, Heidt attended Culver...

, a contemporary of Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...

, and was used for national radio broadcasts on the old Mutual Broadcasting system during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Of the Toledo Trianon, built in 1925 on Madison Avenue and torn down in 1954, it has been written:

Then there was the Trianon Ballroom. Talk about finding romance and falling in love! A night of dancing on the 60 by 180-foot dance floor cost 25 cents. Patrons could find romance and fall in love to the sounds of the best bands in the land. Giant mirror balls cast a romantic shower of diamonds over everyone. Great entertainment came from the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, and Toledo's own Helen O'Connell. So-called "low" beer, or 3.2 beer, nickel Cokes, and all this wonderful music made it so easy to fall in love at the Trianon. And if nothing else, more marriages were created at the Trianon than anything else. Good behavior was demanded and enforced. Acting up could result in being banned from the Trianon, sometimes for life! To many, this was the ultimate penalty.


The Seattle Trianon today has been converted an office building, according to a Wikipedia article Victor Aloysius Meyers
Victor Aloysius Meyers
Victor Aloysius Meyers known as "The Clown Prince of Politics" and "The Pagliacci of Politics", was a Seattle, Washington, jazz bandleader and Washington State Democratic Party politician...

.
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