Ron-De-Voo Ballroom / Wonderland Ballroom

The building located at 1118–1126 West North Avenue was constructed in 1892 by the Bahn Frei Turners. In the mid-1940s, it became the Ron-De-Voo Ballroom, hosting wrestling and boxing matches, as well as music that included polka at first and later doo-wop, rhythm and blues, and jazz, with artists such as Louis Armstrong in 1952 and Billie Holiday in 1953. Following a fire in 1954, James “Derby” Thomas reopened the venue from 1956 to 1961 as the Wonderland Ballroom. Performers included Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, and Dinah Washington.