Rockford's Pioneer Hall was a social club for people of German descent. Built in 1890, this three-story masonry building is of Queen Anne style with Romanesque influence. Pioneer Hall is a contributing property to the East Rockford Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A 2017 story on the restoration of Pioneer Hall by Rockford Register Star reported Issac Guerrero described the building's history: "For much of the early 20th century, Pioneer Hall was a swinging dance hall, drawing the likes of Benny Goodman and countless other musicians whose big band music blared while couples cut a rug on the ballroom floor.
"The building was later home to Pioneer Athletic Club, a boxing venue run by Sammy Mandell, whose devastating left hand made him the lightweight boxing champion of the world from 1926 to 1930. Rockford Rescue Mission bought Pioneer Hall in 1971 and operated its homeless shelter there until 1999. Most recently, the ground floor dance hall was home to a small church."
More recently in this century, the ground floor dance hall was home to a small church. Under new ownership since the 2015, Pioneer Hall is now marketed as a mid-sized music and special event venue.
Located in northern Illinois, Rockford is the seat of Winnebago County and is the largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Rockford had an estimated population of 145,609 as of 2019, with the Rockford Metropolitan Area population standing at 344,623.
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