This is the dance floor of the Palomar ballroom (previous the El Patio Ballroom, then the Rainbow Gardens, then later the Palomar,) a massive place that took up the whole block on Vermont Ave between 2nd and 3rd streets in what is now known as Koreatown, not far from downtown. The place had various incarnations: the El Patio, then the Rainbow Gardens, then the Palomar. Legend has it this is where the “swing era” started, specifically on Aug. 21, 1935, when Benny Goodman and his band began a three-week engagement. I wanna go dancing here – does anybody want to be my date?
The following photos are courtesy of the Carole & Co blog:
http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/484127.html
Bassist Phil Stephens said: “On that night, [of the fire] during our last intermission, many of us went out the side door and had a couple drinks at Smitty’s Bar across the street. I ran into the arranger Phil Moore and I was talking to him, looked out and saw people running from the Palomar–I said, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ So I ran back in (I was quite athletic then).
“I ran back in. The bandstand was full of flames. I jumped up on the bandstand and grabbed my old Italian bass–it was burning, and I grabbed Johnny Owens’ trumpet and Charlie’s mouthpiece, and I ran out. There was a gas station right across the street on the corner and I used the hose to put out the fire. I carried the smoking instrument back to the Palomar parking lot–and played ‘Throw Another Log on the Fire.’ Everyone got a kick out of that. Soon, we watched the roof collapse! The Palomar was burning furiously–and finally the fire engines came. They had gone to Third and Fremont–instead of Third and Vermont!”
Martin, I have to thank you for this page. It’s a time-capsule centered on the Palomar. L.A. has such a rich history, and your site is a treasure box I constantly return to. If I were to win the lottery I’d gladly finance a series of movies to bring your books and the history they celebrate to life. Cheers!
Hello Gene, and thanks for stopping by. I’m very happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed not just this page, but all the vintage photos and music I post here. And if you do win the lottery, I just might hold you to your promise!
Wow cool, I’m Raymond Lewis’s great grandson (the owner of the club), it’s nice to see what the inside of the ballroom looked like