Have A Ball At The Vanity Ballroom

Detroit’s elite of the 1930s loved the big-band sound. Musicians like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, the Dorseys and Cab Calloway were popular. The Vanity Ballroom opened in 1929, and it was the place to see and be seen.
The Vanity Ballroom was a magnificent building, built with an Aztec theme, which incorporated an Art Deco style. The 5,000 foot maple dance floor, accessed by using a massive grand staircase, welcomed up to 2,000 people five nights a week. Dancers enjoyed dancing the night away in the Aztec temple complete with rich earth-toned colors and walls containing Aztec symbols, which allowed dancers to feel the bounce in the floor. The 1930s was the time of the Great Depression, but those who entered here were quickly whisked into a different era, all for the cost of 35 cents. From its opening in 1929 to 1958, the Vanity Ballroom was expertly managed by Edward J. Strata.
The building then sat empty for five long years. It sprang back to life in 1964 to welcome numerous concerts weekly. However, the Vanity Ballroom could not survive the conditions in Detroit after the riots of 1967 and closed again. The property was left to fall into disrepair. Ronald and Donald Murphy attempted to revive the club in 1983, but gave up a year later. Again in 1986, there was an attempt to reopen the Vanity Ballroom. This time the Vanity Ballroom opened as a Caribbean-style club. However, the neighborhood had become so uncivil that the club did not survive.