Elite Hall

Elite Hall is one of the last dance halls with a functional spring-loaded dance floor in the state of Utah. The feeling of dancing on this floor makes anyone enjoy being a master at swing, cha-cha, or even the chicken dance.

Hyrum’s dance hall was designed by architect K.C. Schaub and constructed in 1917. From the outside, Elite Hall looks like a simple commercial building on a concrete foundation. But the dance floor itself is what makes this place special. It is made of maple planks, like those you see in many gymnasiums, which sit on a network of springs below the floorboards. The spring-loaded floor provided more bounce for the dancers who regularly filled the hall. On the second floor of the building, a circular mezzanine surrounding the dance floor gave spectators a place to watch the dancers.

There were an estimated 1,400 people in the crowd on Elite Hall’s opening night on July 24, 1917. Local newspapers marveled at the small town’s big addition, which could accommodate “500 dancing couples and 700 parent spectators.” Over the following decades, the hall hosted dances several nights a week, as well as roller-skating, local meetings, and sporting events. In 1934, the owners sold Elite Hall to the city of Hyrum, who still owns it to this day. 

Though the dance events slowed down in the 1960s, Elite Hall continues to be an important community place in Hyrum. In March 2022, the city announced a plan to restore the building to its original look, stripping off the exterior paint and other changes that have been added since it was first built.