Palladium Building

Year Listed: 2014
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Threat: Neglect

Significance

Advertised as the largest club of its kind in St. Louis in the 1940s, the venue featured three floor shows each night featuring African American jazz musicians and orchestras. Over the years, many well-known national artists performed there including Nat King Cole, Jimmie Lunceford, the Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Carter. St. Louis’ contributions to American music reveal a legacy greater and more significant than previously understood, and the Palladium is a central part of this story.

The Palladium is one of St. Louis’s last remaining buildings with a link to the city’s significant music history. Palladium faces an uncertain future because it is not protected by local or national historic designations and, because of its location, is not covered by the City’s demolition review ordinance. Vacant for many years, increased awareness of the Palladium’s plight would add momentum to the work already underway by Landmarks Association of St. Louis and Friends of the Palladium Building to formally recognize the building’s historic significance and identify a path forward for this important cultural landmark.