Wonder Ballroom
{{Short description|Music venue and historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Wonder Ballroom
| image = 200px
| image_caption = Front of the Wonder Ballroom in 2008
| nickname =
| address = 128 NE Russell St.
| coordinates =
| type = Music venue
| genre =
| built = 1914
| opened = 2004
| renovated = 1948, 1957, 2004
| expanded =
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = Mark Woolley, Chris Monlux, Howie Bierbaum{{cite web|url=http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-4521-wonder_deconstructed.html|title=Wonder, Deconstructed|date=June 22, 2005|first=Mark|last=Baumgarten|work=Willamette Week|publisher=City of Roses Newspapers|access-date=May 26, 2013}}
| construction_cost=
| former_names =
| seating_type = Standing room, open seating
| seating_capacity = 778 (open floor){{cite web|url=http://www.wonderballroom.com/pages/details.html|title=The Details/Specs|access-date=July 6, 2010|publisher=Wonder Ballroom}}
| website = [http://www.wonderballroom.com www.wonderballroom.com]
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Hibernian Hall
| nrhp_type =
| designated_other1_name = Portland Historic Landmark{{citation|author=Portland Historic Landmarks Commission|title=Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon|format=XLS|date=July 2010|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/planning/index.cfm?c=44013&a=146276|access-date=October 3, 2013}}.
| designated_other1_color = lightgreen
| image =
| caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|45.540681|-122.663453|region:US-OR_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Portland downtown
| nocat = yes
| built = {{Start date|1914}}
| architect = Jacobberger, Joseph & Smith, Alfred; Jacobson, Hjalmar
| architecture = Mission/Spanish Revival
| area = less than one acre
| mpsub = {{NRHP url|64500504|title=Eliot Neighborhood MPS}}
| refnum = 05000826{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
}}
The Wonder Ballroom is a music venue located in northeast Portland, Oregon. Prior to opening in 2004, the building (originally constructed in 1914) was occupied by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Catholic Youth Organization, the Portland Boxing School, the American Legion organization, and a community center eventually known as the Collins Center. In 2005,{{cite web|title=Oregon National Register List|publisher=Oregon Parks and Recreation Department|url=http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf|page=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425031913/https://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=dead|date=June 6, 2011|access-date=August 7, 2023}} the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Hibernian Hall for its "historic and architectural significance".
History
Originally built in 1914 for the Ancient Order of Hibernians,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VCebCKYWPysC&pg=PA120|page=120|first=Karl|last=Samson|title=Frommer's Oregon|publisher=Wiley Publishing|year=2010|access-date=July 6, 2010|isbn=9780470645727}} an organization committed to immigration reform and the preservation of Irish culture, the building known today as the Wonder Ballroom was designed by the architecture firm of Jacobberger & Smith. The group's first meeting in the newly constructed building was held on September 10, 1914. After membership of the group fell, the building was turned over to the Catholic Church in 1936. The Catholic Youth Organization and Portland Boxing School occupied the building until about 1941. Ownership of the building was transferred to the American Legion Organization in 1938, allowing the American Legion Navy Post No. 101 to operate in the space during World War II. In 1948, a renovation in the auditorium resulted in lower ceilings. The building was sold to Evelyn Collins in 1956, who hoped to create a community center and day care facility. The following year, another remodel took place to comply with new building codes, and windows were added to the east side of the hall. Upon completion, the center operated for more than 25 years as the Community Center Nursery, the Christian Community Center, and eventually the Collins Center.{{cite web|url=http://www.wonderballroom.com/pages/history.html |title=History |access-date=July 6, 2010 |publisher=Wonder Ballroom |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807033414/http://wonderballroom.com/pages/history.html |archive-date=August 7, 2009 }}
By 2002, the building was shuttered due to a lack of funds by the Collins estate. In 2004, the building was purchased by Mark Woolley and Chris Monlux and remodeled for the music venue, and one year later it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Historic Hibernian Hall for its "historic and architectural significance".
Description
Image:Hibernian Hall detail - Portland Oregon.jpg
The Wonder Ballroom's auditorium is painted in "subtle, earthy tones" and is lit by a gothic-style chandelier and sconces. The main floor measures {{convert|70|ft|m}} by {{convert|50|ft|m}}, with a stage that measuring {{convert|25|ft|m}} wide by 16–18 feet deep.{{cite web|url=http://www.wonderballroom.com/images/details-specs.pdf|title=Wonder Ballroom Stage Details|publisher=Wonder Ballroom|access-date=July 6, 2010}} The {{convert|2700|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Mark Woolley Gallery, once the Hibernians' assembly room, houses works by local artists.
=Under Wonder Lounge=
The basement level of the building features a café called Under Wonder Lounge (formerly Café Wonder), which offers cocktails and "sophisticated comfort food" such as macaroni and cheese, burgers, meatloaf, and chicken croquettes.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xEA_1nkxcAC&pg=PA92|title=Moon Oregon|page=92|first1=Elizabeth|last1=Morris|first2=Mark|last2=Morris|edition=7|publisher=Avalon Travel|access-date=July 6, 2010|isbn=9781566919302|date=2007-02-26}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wonderballroom.com/pages/cafe.html|title=Under Wonder Lounge|access-date=July 6, 2010|publisher=Wonder Ballroom}} In 2006, Justin Sanders of The Portland Mercury described its menu as a "pleasing array of good ol' fashioned mama's kitchen down-hominess with just enough artful flourishes to keep things interesting."{{cite web|work=The Portland Mercury|url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/doing-what-it-does/Content?oid=37685|title=Doing What it Does: Café Wonder Isn't Messing Around|access-date=July 6, 2010|date=March 9, 2006|first=Justin|last=Sanders}}
See also
- Knights of Columbus Building (Portland, Oregon), another Jacobberger & Smith building
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Northeast Portland, Oregon
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.wonderballroom.com}}
{{Eliot, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Music venues in Portland, Oregon}}
Category:2004 establishments in Oregon
Category:Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon
Category:Music venues in Portland, Oregon
Category:Buildings and structures in Northeast Portland, Oregon
Category:Portland Historic Landmarks
Category:Buildings and structures in Eliot, Portland, Oregon