Royal Terrace Ballroom, Omaha, NE
Iowa Ballroom Project
Iowa Ballroom Project
• Ballrooms Across The Border • Iowa Ballroom Project Home •
• In Peony Park, 78th and Cass Street, Omaha, NE •
photo by John S. Savage (1947)
Peony Park was the home of Royal Terrace Ballroom ("one acre under one roof") and Royal Grove (an open air stage and orchestra shell fronting on Royal Grove, an open air dance floor, which can accommodate three thousand dancers)
photo by John S. Savage (1947)
Peony Park was the home of Royal Terrace Ballroom ("one acre under one roof") and Royal Grove (an open air stage and orchestra shell fronting on Royal Grove, an open air dance floor, which can accommodate three thousand dancers)
Peony Park History
Peony Park was begun by local entrepreneur Joe Malec, Sr. in 1919 as a gas station and restaurant on the Lincoln Highway. Carl Rosenfield's neighboring Peony Gardens were established 35 years earlier, in 1884, with 25 acres of peonies in several hundred varieties. When the Gardens became a highway stop along the burgeoning Lincoln Highway, Malec added amusements to this already busy roadside attraction.
The park became the official headquarters for the Lawrence Welk Band in the 1930s, which made it immensely popular.
Other events included the Coca-Cola Date Night and Polka Days.
Originally built outside city limits, the park was annexed by the city of Omaha in 1958.
In the 1980s Omaha's Italian community began holding their annual celebration called La Festa Italiana at the park, and continued until its closure.
Royal Terrace Interior
Royal Terrace Ballroom
Royal Grove
Peony Park Today
Peony Park was begun by local entrepreneur Joe Malec, Sr. in 1919 as a gas station and restaurant on the Lincoln Highway. Carl Rosenfield's neighboring Peony Gardens were established 35 years earlier, in 1884, with 25 acres of peonies in several hundred varieties. When the Gardens became a highway stop along the burgeoning Lincoln Highway, Malec added amusements to this already busy roadside attraction.
The park became the official headquarters for the Lawrence Welk Band in the 1930s, which made it immensely popular.
Other events included the Coca-Cola Date Night and Polka Days.
Originally built outside city limits, the park was annexed by the city of Omaha in 1958.
In the 1980s Omaha's Italian community began holding their annual celebration called La Festa Italiana at the park, and continued until its closure.
Royal Terrace Interior
On the south side
of the lake was the Royal Terrace Ballroom, which was billed as "1 acre
under one roof." Duke Ellington's band, including Omaha native Preston
Love, played the park repeatedly during the swing era.
Regional rock act The Rumbles reunited at the Royal Terrace in 1979. The ballroom also hosted events with Metallica and Pearl Jam in its later years.
Regional rock act The Rumbles reunited at the Royal Terrace in 1979. The ballroom also hosted events with Metallica and Pearl Jam in its later years.
An open air stage
and orchestra shell were covered with a white roof. Called Royal Grove,
the area included an open air dance floor that accommodated three
thousand dancers.
From 1978 through 1981, legendary Omaha radio station KOIL hosted an outdoor dance party "under the stars" in the Royal Grove. It was always carried live on-the-air on 1290 KOIL. It began as "Disco Rondo" (named after the now defunct soft drink) and then changed to "Sprite Night".
Famous KOIL disc jockeys like Christopher Collins, Chris Moreau, Randy Malick, Bill Mattson and more hosted each this huge event each week. Thousands of teens continued to show up each summer year after year, even after KOIL altered it's format to become more adult focused. "Sprite Night" was one of the most successful ongoing events to ever be held at Peony Park.
From 1978 through 1981, legendary Omaha radio station KOIL hosted an outdoor dance party "under the stars" in the Royal Grove. It was always carried live on-the-air on 1290 KOIL. It began as "Disco Rondo" (named after the now defunct soft drink) and then changed to "Sprite Night".
Famous KOIL disc jockeys like Christopher Collins, Chris Moreau, Randy Malick, Bill Mattson and more hosted each this huge event each week. Thousands of teens continued to show up each summer year after year, even after KOIL altered it's format to become more adult focused. "Sprite Night" was one of the most successful ongoing events to ever be held at Peony Park.
Peony Park Today
The park was put
up for sale in 1993 due to dwindling revenue and high operational
costs. Many attempts to save the park and keep it open failed. The park
had too short of a season and not a big enough population base to make
a profit.
A commercial land developer bought the land with plans to develop it into a shopping center. The park officially closed after the 1994 summer season.
Today, Peony Park is a strip mall with restaurants, a bank, a grocery store and apartments. The only remaining structure from the original park still standing today is the Keno parlor.
A commercial land developer bought the land with plans to develop it into a shopping center. The park officially closed after the 1994 summer season.
Today, Peony Park is a strip mall with restaurants, a bank, a grocery store and apartments. The only remaining structure from the original park still standing today is the Keno parlor.