A Staple of Downtown Waterloo Since 1906
Over the years the Brown Derby Ballroom building served as a market, apartment building for eligible bachelors, and hall spaces for fraternal orders before becoming a night club. Now, Brown Derby Ballroom serves as the premier event space in downtown Waterloo designed to host a wide range of events including, weddings, fundraisers and other social gatherings. Interested in learning more about what we can do for your event? Click the button below to either contact us directly or request a quote for your event.
Brown Derby Ballroom Through the Years
- 1906 - The Brown Derby Ballroom building is built for a cost of $25,000 on Sycamore Avenue between 4th and 5th Street by H.M. Reed. The first floor of the building housed Eighmay's Grocery, the second floor housed parlors and lodge space for the Elks Lodge and the third floor offered apartments for the bachelors of Waterloo proclaimed to be "the finest quarters for bachelors in the city."
- 1915 - After nearly 10 years in the space, the building was damaged by fire at Red Cross Drug Company, causing significant damage to the first floor market and smoke damage to many of the furnishings of the Elks Lodge. The Elks Lodge would move out of the building in July of 1915.
- 1916 - The Knight of Columbus move into the space formerly occupied by the Elks Lodge
- 1918 - In November, local health officers make the decision to convert the Knights of Columbus hall into a "flu hospital" during the peak of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Local health official announce the decision as necessary because "Influenza will be prevalent all winter and permanent quarters for the care of patients is imperative."
- 1919 - The Knights of Columbus elect not to return to the space. H. M. Reed elects to remodel the space by placing a mezzanine above the retail space converting the upper floors to a dance hall and club rooms.
- 1940s through 1960s - The space becomes known as the Brown Derby Bottle Club and is seen as as "Waterloo's largest and finest downtown night club."
After the early 1960s, the Brown Derby Ballroom fell into disrepair before a group committed to preserving Waterloo's history set out to restore it to its former glory. Today, Brown Derby Ballroom is managed by JSA Development, a group dedicated to restoring and revitalizing downtown Waterloo.