States Ballroom, Bee, NE
Iowa Ballroom Project
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from University of Nebraka-Lincoln web site (http://casde.unl.edu/history/counties/seward/bee):
photo from (www.nebraskahistory.org)
The
States Ballroom, built in 1939, was a spin-off of a WPA sidewalk
project. With several weeks of pay still available for men who needed
the job, Vlad Sobotka, a local builder/architect, is said to have sat
up all night designing a structure that would keep them busy and "use
the material at hand."
The next morning he staked out the 12-sided, 5,000 square-foot building that used the concrete, gravel, wooden forms, and many hours of hand labor. This unique structure is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
For many years the ballroom was "the place to be" for Saturday night dancing, wedding receptions, anniversaries, and the great Bee Fireman's Picnic.
In 1951 Emil Korinek got permission to paint lines on the floor and put up hoops for a basketball tournament. The event has continued under the guidance of Milo Novratil, school principal, for 7-8th grade boys in what also is affectionately called the "Bee Astrodome."
The next morning he staked out the 12-sided, 5,000 square-foot building that used the concrete, gravel, wooden forms, and many hours of hand labor. This unique structure is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
For many years the ballroom was "the place to be" for Saturday night dancing, wedding receptions, anniversaries, and the great Bee Fireman's Picnic.
In 1951 Emil Korinek got permission to paint lines on the floor and put up hoops for a basketball tournament. The event has continued under the guidance of Milo Novratil, school principal, for 7-8th grade boys in what also is affectionately called the "Bee Astrodome."
photo from (www.nebraskahistory.org)
from (www.nebraskahistory.org)
National Register of Historic Places
Vladimir
Sobotka was born in Dwight, Nebraska, on 14 February 1895. His family
moved to Bee when he was thirteen and he soon assisted his father with
his carpentry business.
Sobotka played a key role in organizing the Bee Fire Department and built the original block of the Bee Fire Department/City Hall Building He then worked as a builder in Dwight after that town had He continued in this role until drafted into the army during World War I.
After Sobotka returned from Europe in 1919, he took drafting classes via He designed and built a wide variety of homes and other buildings in the Bee vicinity throughout a bank and the Bee School
In the 1930s, Sobotka worked for James Blackman and James Young and gained knowledge regarding the use of concrete in building construction. He later worked for the Wilson Construction Company of David City, Nebraska. The firm’s owner, Harry Wilson, managed the area’s W.P.A. projects and utilized Sobotka’s design talents for the twelve-sided, poured concrete, States Ballroom in Bee, which was completed in 1938.
Sobotka played a key role in organizing the Bee Fire Department and built the original block of the Bee Fire Department/City Hall Building He then worked as a builder in Dwight after that town had He continued in this role until drafted into the army during World War I.
After Sobotka returned from Europe in 1919, he took drafting classes via He designed and built a wide variety of homes and other buildings in the Bee vicinity throughout a bank and the Bee School
In the 1930s, Sobotka worked for James Blackman and James Young and gained knowledge regarding the use of concrete in building construction. He later worked for the Wilson Construction Company of David City, Nebraska. The firm’s owner, Harry Wilson, managed the area’s W.P.A. projects and utilized Sobotka’s design talents for the twelve-sided, poured concrete, States Ballroom in Bee, which was completed in 1938.
National Register of Historic Places
States Ballroom (added 1981 - Building - #81000375)
Also known as Bee Community Building; SWO2-8
Off NE 415, Bee
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Sobotka,Vladimir
Architectural Style: Moderne
Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History, Entertainment/Recreation
Period of Significance: 1900-1924
Owner: Local Gov't
Historic Function: Social
Historic Sub-function: Civic
Current Function: Social
Current Sub-function: Civic
Also known as Bee Community Building; SWO2-8
Off NE 415, Bee
Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Sobotka,Vladimir
Architectural Style: Moderne
Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History, Entertainment/Recreation
Period of Significance: 1900-1924
Owner: Local Gov't
Historic Function: Social
Historic Sub-function: Civic
Current Function: Social
Current Sub-function: Civic