Aragon Ballroom
Title
Aragon Ballroom
Subject
Opulent Uptown concert venue with a castle motif painted on its stage and ceiling.
1106 W. Lawrence Ave.
Description
Part of “The Black and Tan” Club scene, a national network of Black music/jazz centered clubs, revues, ballrooms, etc that incubated a transgressive social subculture known, documented, and monitored for interracial and homosexual relations as well as prostitution. In 1958, Aragon closed down due to a fire but was reopened several months later and during the 1960s it transitioned in rapid succession from a ballroom to a roller rink, boxing venue, and disco owned by a series of different owners. In the 1970s Aragon became a concert and entertainment venue for rock and pop shows and a variety of other programs for Spanish, English, and Vietnamese-speaking communities. By the 1980s and 1990s, the venue was also known for house parties with predominately Latino attendance including DJs Pumping Pete, Sly Hula Hula, and, on holidays, the ever popular Hot Mix 5.
Creator
Abra Johnson
Meida McNeal
Miss Priss
Source
Kim, John J. “Then and Now: Two Iconic Chicago Theaters.” chicagotribune.com. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.chicagotribune.com/history/chi-then-and-now-photos-the-aragon-and-apollo-20150424-htmlstory.html.
Date
1926/2020
Contributor
Micah Salkind
Relation
Pumping Pete
Sly Hula Hula
Hot Mix 5
Type
Disco
Hip Hop
House
Salsa
Identifier
Aragon
Coverage
Social Culture
Location
Ballrooms and Cabarets
Files
Citation
Abra Johnson, Meida McNeal, and Miss Priss, “Aragon Ballroom,” Chicago Black Social Culture Map, accessed November 8, 2025, https://cbscmap.omeka.net/items/show/65.