Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
G25.1-008
Date(s)
- 1935 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
ca. 1935. The Century Ballroom in Fife, located at 1406 - 54th Avenue East, opened in 1934, a few days before New Year's Eve. People danced until dawn that year and again on New Year's Day 1935. Fife's big dance dome was the place to go dance in the 1940s. The ballroom had 20,000 square feet of floor space and cost $28,000 to build. The owners were Mac Manza and Jimmy Zarelli. The first eight years the ballroom operated at a loss, but business boomed during the war years and afterwards. All the big names played in Fife. In 1940, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra played to a record crowd of 4,752 fans. Kay Kyser drew a crowd of 4,100. During the war, they sometimes ran two shifts of dancing; the first from 9pm to 1am, with swing workers from area defense plants partying beginning at 1:30a.m. As music tastes changed, ballroom dancing fell from favor. In the early 1950's, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey only drew a mere 570 nostalgic fans. The Century closed in 1956 and was converted to stores & shops. The building was destroyed by fire in 1964. (TNT 3/23/1980, pg. D9) also G40.1-025B, TPL-522
Century Ballroom (Fife); Ballrooms--Fife--1930-1940; Musicians--Fife--1930-1940;