Abdicating Our History: Saving the Palladium and St. Louis’ Cultural History

An incredible piece of American music history is currently for sale. It sits right here in St. Louis. The Palladium Building on Enright Avenue just west of Grand was built in 1914 as a roller skating rink and ballroom. The Palladium was not the fanciest of the legendary St Louis dance halls, but it was home for some of the greatest music in the city.

From the earliest days of the jazz age, the Palladium was a unique spot for entertainment. Gene Rodemich's St Louis jazz orchestra played a dance there in 1914 for the Sunshine Society's Benefit Ball. In my book, Devil At The Confluence, I note that Rodemich's outfit was the first recorded jazz group from St Louis. During World War II and just into the 1950s, the building was the famous Club Plantation, home of the very popular Jeter-Pillars recording orchestra. The importance of this structure to St Louis music history is significant for the great local and national musicians who played there and the generations of people for whom this was the place to be on a Saturday night.