This Indiana rooftop once turned into a Mediterranean village where swing music ruled the Midwest

The Indiana Roof Ballroom’s Big Band Golden Age

The Indiana Roof Ballroom opened in 1927 as a slice of the Mediterranean right in Indianapolis.

Its 8,700 square feet sat atop the Indiana Theatre, with fake stucco homes, red-tiled roofs, and a ceiling that lit up with stars and clouds.

By the 1940s, the spot had turned into the Midwest’s top dance hall.

Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, and Cab Calloway all played there while couples twirled on what Lawrence Welk called “the most comfortable dancing surface in the world.”

Two staff members even kept a secret door where they rated each band with up to four stars. The historic dance floor with its unique spiral maple strips still waits for your visit today.

Architects Built a Mediterranean Fantasy Above Downtown Indy

Edgar Hunter and Preston Rubush created the Indiana Roof Ballroom in 1926, spending $100,000 on a magical space above the Indiana Theatre.

The ballroom opened in September 1927, wowing guests with its Mediterranean village theme across 8,700 square feet.

Visitors felt like they were in another world with electric stars twinkling overhead and a glowing moon hanging in the fake night sky.

They got their ideas from Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, bringing big-city style to Indianapolis.

Lawrence Welk Couldn’t Stop Talking About This Dance Floor

The round dance floor became famous for its comfort and unique design.

Workers soaked one-inch maple strips and curved them to spiral out from a center square, creating a 100-foot-wide dancing surface like no other.

They built two subfloors with a special cushion layer between them, making dancers feel like they were floating. The floor sat completely apart from the theater below, stopping vibrations.

Lawrence Welk later called it “the most comfortable dancing surface in the world.

Couples Flocked to the Roof During the Roaring Twenties

The ballroom hit the Indy scene during the Jazz Age and quickly became the hot spot in town. With room for thousands of people and coat checks for 4,000, the Roof packed in crowds four nights a week.

Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights saw the dance floor full of couples swaying under the Spanish courtyard design.

Red-tiled roofs and stucco walls finished the European fantasy that made the Roof the top romantic spot in the city.

Two Employees Created Their Own Version of Rotten Tomatoes

John Young and Tom Kelly, who worked at the ballroom from 1931 to 1936, started a fun tradition that continues today.

The pair rated each band on a storage room door, giving one to four stars based on quality and crowd response. Jazz great Cab Calloway earned four stars, as did bandleader Jan Garber.

The workers showed their humor by giving themselves five stars each on the door. This old “rating system” still exists at the ballroom as a keepsake from the swing era.

Big Bands Turned Indy Into a Midwest Music Mecca

The 1940s and 1950s marked the golden age of the Indiana Roof Ballroom, when the biggest names in music often played in Indianapolis.

Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo, and Cab Calloway all brought their bands to the famous dance floor.

The Betsy Ross Candy Company added a sweet shop and soda fountain next to the stage, so dancers could grab a treat between songs.

Music fans from across the Midwest came to Indianapolis to hear big bands play under those electric stars.

Music Legends Fought for Spots on the Calendar

Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra packed the house whenever they played, filling the dance floor with couples swinging to his trombone. Louis Armstrong brought his famous trumpet sound and raspy voice to eager Indy crowds.

Benny Goodman, the “King of Swing,” played during the height of the swing craze. Cab Calloway wowed crowds with his lively shows and “Hi-De-Ho” calls.

Local talent got their chance too, with Harry McCrady’s 18-piece band among the hometown favorites that often took the stage.

The Symphony Found a New Home Among the Stars

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra started their popular pops series at the ballroom in 1952, bringing classical music to this dance palace.

These concerts featured lighter classical pieces and versions of popular songs that ballroom regulars enjoyed.

The symphony shows added class to the venue’s name and helped connect classical music with popular entertainment. The great sound quality in the ballroom made it perfect for orchestras as well as jazz and swing bands.

Thousands of Marriages Started Under Fake Stars

Locals simply called it “the Roof” as they fell in love while dancing beneath its magical ceiling. Painted grapevines climbed the walls while fancy Mediterranean details surrounded dancing couples.

The domed ceiling looked just like dancing outdoors in a European courtyard at night. The moving clouds and twinkling stars became part of many love stories.

Countless Indy couples got engaged after dancing at the Roof, making it the most romantic spot in the city.

Frank Sinatra Once Danced Where You Can Stand Today

The ballroom drew celebrities whenever they came through Indianapolis, with stars like Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra stepping onto that famous maple floor.

The venue became the place to be seen for local couples, who wore their best clothes for a night at the Roof.

The ballroom shaped Indy culture and social life for decades, becoming the top entertainment venue in the Midwest and putting the city on the map for touring performers.

Rock and Roll Changed Everything

The arrival of the 1960s brought dramatic changes to American music tastes as rock and roll took over the airwaves.

Young people turned away from the music their parents loved, rejecting swing and big band sounds for electric guitars and drum kits. The Roof struggled to stay relevant as fewer couples wanted to fox trot and waltz.

Dance attendance dropped sharply year after year as cultural preferences shifted toward rock concerts and disco. The big band era faded away as new musical styles captured the public’s attention.

Tony Bennett Brought the Music Back in 1986

After years of declining popularity, the ballroom finally closed its doors in 1971, marking the end of an era for Indianapolis entertainment.

The space sat unused for years until a major renovation project breathed new life into the historic venue.

The ballroom reopened in 1986 with a performance by Tony Bennett, connecting the venue’s storied past with a new future.

The historic dance floor survived intact, preserving the surface where so many legends once played and where countless couples still celebrate their weddings today.

Visiting Indiana Theatre, Indiana

You can experience Big Band Era history at the Indiana Roof Ballroom above the Indiana Theatre at 140 W. Washington Street.

Enter through the Indiana Repertory Theatre Building to see the preserved starry ceiling, crescent moon, and historic Jazz Door with band ratings from 1931-1936.

Public Big Band Dance events happen select Sundays from 5:00-9:00 pm for $24 tickets at crystalsignatureevents. thundertix.

com, where you can dance on the same floor where Armstrong and Goodman once performed.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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