The Ballroom Cafe

The Ballroom Cafe

The Ballroom Cafe, 9 Riddiford Street, Newtown.

The Ballroom Café

The Ballroom Café is an historic venue in Wellington, which has seen many uses in its time. It was originally a women's clothing factory before it tuned into a popular night haunt in the 1950s. Young people danced the night away here in The Five Star Ballroom and live jazz played throughout the day.

A few decades later the premises became a boxing club and the meeting rooms for the Miramar Rugby League team. In the early 1980s the business again changed hands and became a notorious pool room. It was later purchased by the Hospital Board, but was neglected until it was sold in 1994. 

Since 1994 the Ballroom Café has been a funky signature café that thrives on providing the community with a function venue for parties, annual dinners, book launches and art exhibitions. Although it has evolved to suit a modern clientele, it has never lost its original identity. There is a full menu available as well as a range of counter foods. The coffee is supplied by Supreme Coffee.

Amy Donald, 2009

How to cite this page: 'The Ballroom Cafe', URL: /media/photo/ballroom-cafe, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 10-Jul-2009

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