Built in 1914, the Palladium was a premiere dance hall in the heart of St. Louis' entertainment district. However, its greater historical significance may come later, when the ballroom operated as the Plantation Club from 1931 through the 1950s. In City of Gabriels, a history of jazz in St. Louis, Dennis Owsley writes that the Plantation Club was owned by Tony and James Scarpelli, who moved it to the Palladium in 1931 from a nearby location at Vandeventer and Enright. The Scarpellis blazed an important trail in St. Louis jazz by hiring African-American musicians. According to Owsley, the Scarpellis even envisioned a mixed-race clientele but could not get the St. Louis Police Department to allow them to admit African-American customers until well after World War II. Hence, the club offered African-American musicians one of the few chances to play for a white audience -- an imperfect arrangement, but one that started cutting the segregation edge in local entertainment.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Old Palladium Ballroom is for Sale
Built in 1914, the Palladium was a premiere dance hall in the heart of St. Louis' entertainment district. However, its greater historical significance may come later, when the ballroom operated as the Plantation Club from 1931 through the 1950s. In City of Gabriels, a history of jazz in St. Louis, Dennis Owsley writes that the Plantation Club was owned by Tony and James Scarpelli, who moved it to the Palladium in 1931 from a nearby location at Vandeventer and Enright. The Scarpellis blazed an important trail in St. Louis jazz by hiring African-American musicians. According to Owsley, the Scarpellis even envisioned a mixed-race clientele but could not get the St. Louis Police Department to allow them to admit African-American customers until well after World War II. Hence, the club offered African-American musicians one of the few chances to play for a white audience -- an imperfect arrangement, but one that started cutting the segregation edge in local entertainment.
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5 comments:
Wow, I bet if that stucco or whatever was removed, there would be some very intact brickwork underneath.
I always wondered what this building used to be and now I know.
I kinda like the stucco. When was it installed?
I always figured Vet's Village must have been something like a ballroom.
interesting.
Interesting, indeed. Have been in the thrift multiple times, always seeing the side entrance and never the more impressive front face. Will stop and look more closely next time through. Thanks for the info.
The VA is planning a major expansion. I wonder if they will purchase the building and build some crap garage or something of that sort? Or, perhaps they could use the building or land for a reasonable urban-minded expansion? I have no idea, just know that a major expansion is in the works.
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