3354 Iowa Avenue

3354 Iowa Avenue. The Casa Loma Ballroom. , The northeast corner of Cherokee Street and Iowa Avenue was the location of the Cinderella Airdome, which opened in 1921. The Airdome, which was an outdoor theater, was operated by Harry and Eugene Freund. The Freunds had built the Cinderella Theater in 1913, and operated the Favorite Airdome and Amusement Company just down the street at 2701 Cherokee Street. In 1926 the Freunds built the Cinderella Ballroom on this site, at the same time the adjacent building at 2715 Cherokee was constructed. The Cinderella Ballroom officially opened in 1927 and was run by the Cinderella Amusement Company, with Eugene Freun as the president and Harry Freund the vice president. Constructed in an Italian Renaissance Revival style, the original building was designed by architects Wedemeyer and Nelson, and constructed by the firm of Huger and Bueker., In the 1920s and 30s the building was home to the Cinderella Bowling Alley, the Cinderella Dance Academy, as well as various smaller businesses. In the 1930s the ballroom was owned and operated by Art Kawall and H. J. "Nap" Burian, who changed the name to "Casaloma Ballroom" around 1939., In 1940 a fire ruined the original building. The Freunds had the building quickly rebuilt and it reopened by the end of the year. Constructed in the more modern Streamlined Art Deco style, the brothers again asked architect William Wedemeyer to design the building. By this time, Wedemeyer had started a firm with his son, Wesley Wedemeyer. Reopening as the "Casa Loma Ballroom", it has hosted Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, and Benny Goodman to name just a few. "Nap" Burian died in 1958 and Art Kawall sold the ballroom in 1967. The Casa Loma Ballroom has continued to be a neighborhood landmark.