George's Ballroom is an American ballroom

Ballroom

A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...

 on Center Street in New Ulm, Minnesota

New Ulm, Minnesota

New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....

. It was built in 1947 and became a popular spot for young couples reuniting after World War II. Performers such as Lawrence Welk

Lawrence Welk

Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...

, The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...

, Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller

Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...

 and the Six Fat Dutchmen

Six Fat Dutchmen

The Six Fat Dutchmen was a polka band formed around 1932 by Harold Loeffelmacher in New Ulm, Minnesota. The band was known mostly for playing the "Oom-pah" style of polka music that originated from Germany and the German-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia...

 all played there, and in its heyday it was an important center for big bands and polka

Polka

The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...

 music.

The colorful art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 building is a symbol of the small-town ballrooms that were the center of weekend activity is rural America. The ballroom also housed a bowling alley, restaurant and bar. The building closed in 1991 due to declining interest in big bands, ballroom dancing and polka.

The complex was acquired by Brown County

Brown County, Minnesota

Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 25,893. Its county seat is New Ulm.-Geography:...

 in a tax foreclosure case. The building was later sold at auction and the new owner made plans to renovate and re-open the historical complex. The Minnesota Historical Society

Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...

funded a study, completed in 2003, and a preservation architect team was hired to restore the building to its former glory. The ballroom has since re-opened, but its ultimate fate is uncertain as of early 2007 due to a disagreement between the owner and the City of New Ulm.http://www.nujournal.com/journal/stories/n101406.html