Castle Ballroom Saint Louis is Added to the National Register for Historic Places

Nomiantion and Summary Below Provided by:

Lynn Josse
Public History Consultant
(314) 229-0793

Built in 1908 as Cave Hall, the venue was designed as a dance hall and
dancing academy. The owners, Cornelius Ahern and Herman Albers, built the hall
when their previous venue closed. Cave Hall became one of the major venues for social
dancing and danceinstruction in St. Louis prior to the dawn of the Jazz Age. By the 1930s,
changing tastes in music and the nature of social dancing had transformed the city’s dancing scene
into one thatwas driven by jazz bands rather than dance orchestras, and the renamed Castle
Ballroom hosted many of the most famous acts of the 1930s and 1940s. Located at the edge of St.
Louis’ storied Mill Creek Valley neighborhood, the Castle became one of the only traditionally“white” halls toallow black customers. As the Castle transitioned into a black venue, it became one of only a
few major halls that catered to an African American clientele. Since the Mill Creek Valley
neighborhood was demolished almost in its entirety beginning in 1959, the Castle is one of the
few extant buildings with significant associations to that community.

Here's the link to the Castle Ballroom nomination:
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/11000024.pdf