(Image: Century Ballroom)

Century Ballroom’s 28th anniversary on Capitol Hill next year will be its last.

Century’s Hallie Kuperman and Alison Cockrill say the ballroom, an arts and cultural center that has bridged any gaps between Capitol Hill’s communities with Tango, Bachata, Lindy Hop, Hip Hop, and West Coast Swing since 1997 is at the end of its latest lease. It will not be renewed.

“One of the things that is true is that the business — as this particular dream of ours — isn’t sustainable. It’s nobody’s fault. It is the way it is. We are very successful,” Kuperman said in a social media video with Cockrill posted earlier this month. “We are one of the biggest organizations, if not the biggest organization across the United States that we know of, that does all we do — only dance — with a bar and restaurant in this beautiful venue. And that’s our dream. And we’ve lived our dream for 28 years.”

It is “time to let that go,” Kuperman said.

Kuperman said there is not set date for the last dance at Century but the ballroom and its sister restaurant and bar the Tin Table will be there to ring in 2025 with one last New Year’s bash. They are also planning a blowout 28th anniversary party in March.

Change in the second floor ballroom will mark a major milestone for the historic Odd Fellows Building at the center of Capitol Hill’s Pike/Pine neighborhood. Before the growth of the Hill’s live music and nightlife scene, the dilapidated Odd Fellows Hall was one of the most important performance venues in the neighborhood as well as an affordable home for dance and theater. It was a much different place than the overhauled building we know now. Century has been the only business to be part of both the early 1990s pre-boom Odd Fellows and the modern incarnation where the rest of the arts organizations that used to call the building home are long gone.

Another longtime business in the building also recently brought its long run in the community to a close. CHS reported here in October on the closure of the Fleet Feet running store after 20 years of business and weekly “fun runs” across the neighborhood.

In 2022, the Queer/Bar business family acquired the building’s street level Oddfellows Cafe from founder Linda Derschang while the upper levels of the historic building are home to Century and offices for businesses including a local headquarters for global puzzlemaker Ravensburger.

Kuperman at work (Image: Century Ballroom)

(Image: Century Ballroom)

The ballroom hosted caucus participants in 2016 (Image: CHS)

(Image: CHS)

A promotional shot from the real estate management company Redside Partners shows the Odd Fellows in all its Pike/Pine glory

It isn’t clear if other changes to the 116-year-old building are afoot.

In 2017 after the building was listed for sale for $30 million, CHS reported that Midby Companies, a developer of commercial properties and housing including Seattle’s Escala condominium tower, was under contract to purchase the Odd Fellows building. But seven years later, King County records show the property continues to be held by the Schroth family who acquired the structure in 2007 for $8.5 million.

Developer Ted Schroth undertook and extensive overhaul of the building.

In 2017, as Century marked its 20th anniversary, Kuperman told CHS the period after Schroth’s acquisition was one of the biggest challenges in the club’s history as she guided the ballroom through a long run of building renovations, new tenants, and changes to parking, which hit Century hard.

Just as the dust started to settle, Century was hit again. This time with $90,000 in “dance tax” penalty fees. “It was a complete waste of energy,” Kuperman told CHS in 2017. “It took us out of what we do for a long time… but with the dance tax, we actually changed a law, and that was pretty phenomenal.”

Since, the queer-owned Century Ballroom persevered through the pandemic and the challenges of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest playing out on the street below in 2020.

Now approaching its 28th and final year after “years of consternation and conversations on a daily, and I do mean, daily basis” to figure out the best path forward for Century and the communities it represents, Kuperman said she is hoping to help shape what comes next for the ballroom, its dancefloor, and its big band stage.

An attendee chose an unusual seating arrangement at a community meeting at the ballroom (Image: CHS)

In the goodbye announcement, Kuperman said she has been talking to larger organizations “that do arts, dance, music” and are “doing what we do” about taking over the space, continuing its legacy of “social dance” but adding a potentially lucrative component in managing the ballroom as an event space.

The hope, Kuperman said, is to keep the Century Ballroom venue a space for arts. In the meantime, she and Cockrill and the rest of the ballroom crew are ending the business’s run on their own terms.

“We want to make the choice about how to leave this business as opposed to try to fight to try to keep it going for another couple years,” Kuperman said.

The Century Ballroom is located at 915 E Pine. You can learn more at centuryballroom.com.

UPDATE 11/22/2024: Century has issued a press release with a reminder — “Century Ballroom is not closing yet and has two big celebrations planned for the ballroom and The Tin Table: New Year’s Eve and their 28th Anniversary weekend, February 28 – March 2, 2025.”

CENTURY BALLROOM AND THE TIN TABLE TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS IN 2025

 

Iconic dance community space to end its 27+ year run

Seattle, WA (November 22, 2024) – Century Ballroom opened its doors in 1997 with the mission to bring all walks of life together by offering dance classes and dances at affordable prices. The goal was for people to come and enjoy the elegant Century Ballroom dine on good food, and drink, all while creating the community. This mission has remained true for over 27 years. The lease for Century Ballroom and The Tin Table in the Oddfellows building ends on August 31, 2025. Hallie Kuperman, owner of both businesses, will not be renewing the lease.

“This business is no longer sustainable,” said Hallie Kuperman, owner of Century Ballroom and The Tin Table. “For 16 years, we have struggled financially. The rent is too high and has been too high for many years. We have squeaked by, losing money most years, infusing the business with additional funds, and frankly, holding our breaths.”

The story of the Odd Fellows building being sold 16 years ago is an old one; rents tripled, and every arts organization tenant had to leave the building, but Century Ballroom stayed because it had the largest room, hence the possibility to bring in more people to pay the rent.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Century Ballroom has existed on grants, government funding, and gifts from generous community members. The landlords did work with Kuperman on a financial plan, knowing there would be no way for the business to exist otherwise.

Century Ballroom has been downsizing its staff over the years to save money. If someone left, someone else on staff picked up their duties. In 2024, it became apparent that this, too, was unsustainable. After ongoing scrutiny of the business financials and the mental and physical toll it took on everyone who worked there, the choice was not to renew the lease.

Hallie Kuperman and Alison Cockrill have been running Century Ballroom since day one. They decided to start going live on Facebook for the past six weeks to let the dance community know that the business wasn’t sustainable in its current form due to many factors, including rent, lack of staff, parking, competing events, and the Capitol Hill neighborhood being seen as not safe.

“The environment for restaurants and social dancers isn’t the same as it was even five years ago,” said Kuperman. “We made this decision grounded in today’s reality for small businesses and the arts. And to continue limping along would be too painful and, frankly, too much work.”

Kuperman has been in contact with numerous arts organizations and some individuals to help find other tenants who will keep the arts alive in the space, specifically partner dancing, and then program other things that may bring in more income. She is actively trying to help the landlords find a tenant to maintain the space as a home for dance or at least an arts space.

“The biggest loss for me is not letting the ballroom go – I have had a great run,” said Kuperman. “I am sad for the community at large. When I think about going out and dancing, there is nowhere else I want to go besides the ballroom. And there is no other space in town like it that welcomes such a diverse community for social dancing.”

Century Ballroom is not closing yet and has two big celebrations planned for the ballroom and The Tin Table: New Year’s Eve and their 28th Anniversary weekend, February 28 – March 2, 2025. The New Year’s Eve gala will feature Salsa dancing, including a lesson in the ballroom, LGBTQ+ OutDancing in West Hall, and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $30 and on sale now at centuryballroom.com/events/nye2024-gala/

Join Alison and Hallie on Mondays at 9:45 pm as they continue their Fireside chats on Facebook live via the Century Ballroom Facebook page, regaling stories from the beginning of Century Ballroom through the current day. They also plan to take the community and joy that Century Ballroom has created on the road. They will continue to teach and build community in spaces around Western Washington.

“If you have ever been to the ballroom, enjoyed social dancing or a dance class, or had a memorable meal at The Tin Table, now is the time to return,” said Kuperman. “Mourn the loss of this space while it is still here. We are all grieving, but we have had some time to process this decision. Come dance, eat, drink, and most of all, celebrate the joy this space has brought to so many for almost three decades.”

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