Broadway North of Montrose, 1926 — Arcadia Ballroom, McJunkin Building

Here is a fantastic scene of Broadway just north of Montrose. You can see the exquisite blue and white terracotta building, torn down a few years ago, a rare view of the Arcadia Ballroom with Wilson Yards behind, the McJunkin building at Wilson just up the way, and far off in the distance the rooftop marquee of the recently completed Uptown Theatre. Thanks to reader Mike M. for sharing this one!

Arcadia Ballroom at Night, Broadway Near Wilson, Uptown Chicago

We've been on a lucky streak lately when it comes to finding rare images of Uptown. I won this one at auction earlier this evening. It's the first photo I've seen of the Arcadia Ballroom all lit up. Enjoy!

P. T. Harmon, Owner of the Arcadia Ballroom in Uptown Chicago

Here's an unusual 1923 print of P. T. Harmon, who owned the Arcadia Ballroom that once stood on Broadway (he also owned the Dreamland). It came from a book of character sketches of Chicago businessmen.

The original print is available here: P. T. Harmon

From Wikipedia: The Arcadia Ballroom, at 4444 N. Broadway, was one of the first Dance Halls in Chicago. Promoter Paddy Harmon, who later developed Dreamland Ballroom and the Chicago Stadium, found that black jazz bands were popular with the Arcadia Ballroom late night crowds. It was one of the few places on the north side of Chicago which would book black jazz bands in the 1920s and 1930s, the other being the Green Mill Jazz Club. The building was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s

Click the Arcadia Ballroom link below to learn more about the ballroom.

Terminal Garage -- 4464 Broadway, Chicago, Illinois

Thanks to Michael Finnestad for sending this photo, circa 1920. It's the Terminal Garage once owned by his great-grandfather, Fred Daniels (who also owned the Daniels Hotel on Winthrop we featured a few months ago). It was located at 4464 Broadway, in front of the Wilson Yards. It's a particularly rare image; I haven't found many of this stretch of Broadway. At the left in the photo is the Arcadia Ballroom.

To learn more about Michael's grandfather and see other documents he has posted, visit his web site at Emery Daniels History.

Arcadia Ballroom in Uptown Chicago: Dance Hall, Roller Rink, Boxing Ring

One of our regular readers found a great article on the Arcadia Ballroom, which was built in Uptown in 1910, served some time as a Boxing Ring and a Roller Rink, and burned down in the 1950s. The site is now part of the Wilson Yard project. Here's an excerpt of the article, with link to the rest of the story, which has some photos:

Arcadia Ballroom
4432-4456 North Broadway
Opened 1910

Opened in 1910 as a combination dance hall and skating rink, the Arcadia Ballroom, situated along the west side of Broadway just north of Montrose Avenue, was one of the Uptown district's best known entertainment destinations. During the 1920s, the ballroom became one of the city's most popular dance establishments and stood as one of the few places in the city where white audiences regularly danced to the music of all-black jazz bands. The driving force behind the Arcadia's popularity, particularly during the late 1910s and 1920s, was sports and dance promoter Paddy Harmon, whose interests included the Dreamland Ballroom and Chicago Stadium on the near west side.

At a time when most of the city's ballroom managers drew a strict color line in the hiring of bands to entertain their predominantly white patrons, Harmon willingly hired all-black jazz bands from the south side to play at the Arcadia. This made the ballroom one of only a handful of north side venues...

For complete article, go here: Arcadia.

New Auditorium, Arcadia Ballroom, Broadway Between Montrose and Wilson, Uptown Chicago

Interior view of the auditorium of the Arcadia Ballroom, once located at 4450 Broadway (previously Evanston Avenue) between Wilson and Montrose. The spot currently is home to Wilson Yard. Thanks to Ben B. for the image.

Arcadia Ballroom, 4450 Broadway at Montrose

The Arcadia Ballroom on Broadway at Montrose opened in 1910. During the 1920s, it was one of the most popular dance halls in the city and one of the few establishments were white audiences danced to all-black jazz bands. You can read up on its history at Jazz Age Chicago, which also has an exterior shot of the building.

The Arcadia suffered a bad fire in the 1950s and was demolished.