Taborian Hall turned 108 years old July 14th.
Back in 2018, I wrote an essay for Brave Magazine called "Dreams Come True" about what this building means to me and what it took to get the National Parks Service grant that would change everything for the Dreamland Ballroom. If you haven't read it, or if it's been a while, it's worth revisiting. [Read it here.]
A lot has happened since then.
That first $499,668 NPS grant funded the construction of the elevator addition, making the third floor accessible for the first time in decades. In 2020, a second grant of $499,723 completed the elevator installation, added an ADA compliant bathroom, restored windows, and finally gave the ballroom a real HVAC system. A third grant of $498,000 followed in 2021, funding historic restoration work including hardwood floors, replicated tin ceiling tiles, stage apron restoration, and historically accurate house lighting.
In 2025, Dreamland hosted more events than any previous year, its first full year of ADA compliance since the ballroom closed in 1968. The Arkansas Festival Ballet performed on the Dreamland stage twice. The Swing Band Reunion brought a full ensemble for a Salute to the Legends of Dreamland. Weddings, receptions, art shows, and community gatherings filled the calendar.
This spring, the Beyond the Divide project brought a month-long pop-up market and community events to West 9th Street, with Dreamland right in the middle of it all.
The building my mom fell in love with through a broken front door in 1990 is very much alive. Happy birthday, Taborian Hall.