The Riverside Park Ballroom was a premier concert hall and social event space that featured a very large swimming pool with a sand bottom, river rock sides and a 30 ft. slide. It was located on Central Ave. and the Salt River in South Phoenix.
Built around 1914, the original structure was washed away in a flood and the new structures built in its place burned down a couple times and it was rebuilt many times in different configurations.
It became one the most popular places to go hear local and national touring bands. The Riverside featured several special nights of designated types of music including Big Dance Bands, Country swing, Rhythm and Blues, Latino, etc.
The Riverside burned down in 1957 but was rebuilt by Bob Fite and survived well into the 1980s.
The list of famous bands that performed at the Riverside Ballroom is too long to list here, but it’s clear that the history book will always list the Riverside as one of the mostimportant live music venues in Arizona’s history.