Originally called The Town Barn and then Town Casino between the 1940s and 60s, the venue looms large in Buffalo’s history.
In the midst of its heyday, the Main Street club was the Queen City’s finest restaurant and night spot. It was home to a house big band, shuffling showgirls, tough guys playing cards in the basement (Al Capone among them) and thousands of dinners coming out of as busy kitchen every night.
Whether you were Marilyn Monroe taking a night of off filming Niagara for dinner and show with Al Martino or Bill and Betty from Black Rock dressed in their finest for a special night out.
The room hosted a myriad of legends such as Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt, Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne Carmen Miranda, Nat ¨King¨ Cole, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Les Paul and so many more. Anyone who was anyone graced the stage of The Town Casino.
Following this storied era, the building changed ownership several times. First it became home of Studio Arena, where future Oscar winners like Christopher Walken, Olympia Dukakis and F. Murray Abraham walked the boards of the stage. Then it was home of University of Buffalo’s Pfeiffer Theater and in the early 21st Century remodeled into Sphere Entertainment Complex.
Finally – in 2005 – noted Western New York promoters Artie Kwitchoff and Donny Kutzbach stepped in to restore the building to its former glory. Their vision was to bring the venue back to life as a premier destination for concert and live events. This included further renovation of the space to ensure the stage was not only magnificent for performers, but that this would also be the best place for fans to see a show. The pièce de résistance was christening the club the Town Ballroom, which called to mind the legendary grandeur of the Town Casino.
In the last decade and a half, the Town Ballroom fulfilled the legacy of its past playing hosting the greatest artists moving into the 21st century. From hip-hop icons like Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg and Wu-Tang Clan, Grammy winning groundbreakers like Kacey Musgraves and St. Vincent and comedians like Bill Burr, Tim & Eric and Margaret Cho. Everyone from the Pretenders to Portugal The Man; from Jonas Brothers to Johnny Marr; Panic! At The Disco to Disco Biscuits.
With lots of exciting news and changes coming upon post-Covid reopening in Fall 2021, Town Ballroom will be looking to keep it going for the rest of the century…
Originally called The Town Barn and then Town Casino between the 1940s and 60s, the venue looms large in Buffalo’s history.
In the midst of its heyday, the Main Street club was the Queen City’s finest restaurant and night spot. It was home to a house big band, shuffling showgirls, tough guys playing cards in the basement (Al Capone among them) and thousands of dinners coming out of as busy kitchen every night.
Whether you were Marilyn Monroe taking a night of off filming Niagara for dinner and show with Al Martino or Bill and Betty from Black Rock dressed in their finest for a special night out.
The room hosted a myriad of legends such as Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt, Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne Carmen Miranda, Nat ¨King¨ Cole, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Les Paul and so many more. Anyone who was anyone graced the stage of The Town Casino.
Following this storied era, the building changed ownership several times. First it became home of Studio Arena, where future Oscar winners like Christopher Walken, Olympia Dukakis and F. Murray Abraham walked the boards of the stage. Then it was home of University of Buffalo’s Pfeiffer Theater and in the early 21st Century remodeled into Sphere Entertainment Complex.
Finally – in 2005 – noted Western New York promoters Artie Kwitchoff and Donny Kutzbach stepped in to restore the building to its former glory. Their vision was to bring the venue back to life as a premier destination for concert and live events. This included further renovation of the space to ensure the stage was not only magnificent for performers, but that this would also be the best place for fans to see a show. The pièce de résistance was christening the club the Town Ballroom, which called to mind the legendary grandeur of the Town Casino.
In the last decade and a half, the Town Ballroom fulfilled the legacy of its past playing hosting the greatest artists moving into the 21st century. From hip-hop icons like Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg and Wu-Tang Clan, Grammy winning groundbreakers like Kacey Musgraves and St. Vincent and comedians like Bill Burr, Tim & Eric and Margaret Cho. Everyone from the Pretenders to Portugal The Man; from Jonas Brothers to Johnny Marr; Panic! At The Disco to Disco Biscuits.
With lots of exciting news and changes coming upon post-Covid reopening in Fall 2021, Town Ballroom will be looking to keep it going for the rest of the century…
