The Wonder Ballroom is a

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

located in northeast

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Prior to opening in 2004, the building (originally constructed in 1914) was occupied by the

Ancient Order of Hibernians The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH; ) is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New ...

, the

Catholic Youth Organization Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) is an international Catholic youth movement founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil in Chicago in 1930. It would become a major factor in the development of race relations in the US Catholic Church following World War ...

, the Portland Boxing School, the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

organization, and a community center eventually known as the Collins Center. In 2005, the building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the Hibernian Hall for its "historic and architectural significance".

History

Originally built in 1914 for the

, an organization committed to immigration reform and the preservation of

Irish culture The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). It has ...

, 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 The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1936. The

and Portland Boxing School occupied the building until about 1941. Ownership of the building was transferred to the

Organization in 1938, allowing the American Legion Navy Post No. 101 to operate in the space during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1948, a

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

in the auditorium resulted in lower ceilings. The building was sold to Evelyn Collins in 1956, who hoped to create a

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

and

day care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

facility. The following year, another remodel took place to comply with new

building code A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permission ...

s, 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. 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

as the Historic Hibernian Hall for its "historic and architectural significance".

Description

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 by , with a stage that measuring wide by 16–18 feet deep. The 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 A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

called Under Wonder Lounge (formerly Café Wonder), which offers cocktails and "sophisticated comfort food" such as

macaroni and cheese Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom BBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce. The ...

, burgers,

meatloaf Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients and formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray, or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. It ...

, and chicken

croquette A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...

s. In 2006, Justin Sanders of ''

The Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. Contributors and staff Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...

'' 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."

References

External links

* {{Music venues in Portland, Oregon 2004 establishments in Oregon Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Music venues in Portland, Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Northeast Portland, Oregon Portland Historic Landmarks Eliot, Portland, Oregon

History

Description

Under Wonder Lounge

See also

References

External links