THE PALOMAR BALLROOM existed for a shorter time at the south end of Bimini Place but its place is Los Angeles history is no less important. The Palomar Ballroom was the premier dance hall in Los Angeles (until the Palladium was built) and is recognized as the birthplace of the swing music and swing dance craze. First built in 1925 as the El Patio Ballroom, later renamed the Rainbow Ballroom, it was then expanded and renamed again as the Palomar Ballroom. All the big name bands played at the Palomar, a massive, Moorish looking building occupying the site of the current Von’s Market. On its backside was the Bimini Baths, and dancers often spilled out the back of the Palomar and performed on the street in front of Bimini, especially during the depression (see pictures).

As documented in Ken Burns’ PBS series Jazz (see V. 4) and in countless books and articles on the subject, Benny Goodman’s August 21, 1935 performance at the Palomar heralded the start of the worldwide swing craze. The performance also catapulted Benny Goodman into worldwide stardom. As the story has been recounted elsewhere, Goodman lost his national Saturday night radio broadcast and took his band on a cross country tour. But the tour turned out to be a disaster, as the nation was not expecting to hear his new brand of jazz and insisted on old waltzes and corny ballads. By the time Goodman and his band reached Los Angeles, they were ready to disband. However, they were greeted by thousands of kids at the Palomar waiting to hear the new sound of swing jazz live. The rest is history. Unfortunately, the Palamor Ballroom did not meet such a fate. To hear a first hand account of the fire that consumed the gorgeous building, and the various conspiracies that surrounded its destruction, please watch the stories that our project have documented.