Part 1

When the remodeled Valencia Ballroom reopened after renovations in October 1934, famed big band leaders who performed there considered it one of the best dance halls in America. The 2,000 people attending the opening of this North George Street venue did, too. They kept coming back to the 260-by-60-foot hall, entering under a stainless-steel marquee with neon lighting. Fourteen murals of landscapes tied to the venue’s namesake region in Spain added to the setting for dancers and later greeted the swing orchestras of Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller and the vocals of Frank Sinatra. Today, the Valencia carries the same reputation as a first-class venue, on a short-list of most desirable places for proms, concerts and giant fund-raisers. In fact, Hometown History’s Jamie Noerpel and Dominish Marie Miller told about the Valencia’s compelling story from its swing days to today, as part of the Friends of the York County History Center benefit on “If the Walls Could Talk” benefit series on March 30. Here, Jamie and Domi retell that story.