Set amid the white marble flooring is a black stone with the words Laramar Ballroom written in gold lettering.

That is but one of the features added to the nearly 120-year-old building by its new owners.

Following a year’s worth of work by new owners Laramar Acquisition Co. LLC, the renovated landmark debuted June 22, 2023, with a ribbon cutting conducted by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Ambassadors followed by a dinner and a show by Brady O’Brien Live.

Kim Quade, the creative director of Brady O’Brien Live, said she was instructed not to use the word “done” when talking about the renovations during the event.

-Messenger file photo by Bill Shea
One of the first things people will see upon stepping into the newly renovated Laramar Ballroom is this stone in the floor, which will remind them exactly where they are.

“This is not done,” she told the hundreds of people gathered in the spacious main room. “This is just the beginning of this huge transformation.”

“It’s a beautiful space,” she added. “A lot of work has gone into this.”

She said the space will be “constantly changing.”

The building at 710 First Ave. N. was built in 1904 and first served as a National Guard Armory. After the soldiers moved elsewhere, it became an entertainment venue.

It has had several names over the decades, but Laramar Ballroom is the one that stuck. That name is a combination of the first names of Larry and Margaret Greer, who bought the building in 1938.

-Messenger file photo by Britt Kudla
The Laramar Ballroom will once again be the site of dances, concerts and other events, keeping in the tradition of its long and storied history. Here, the renovated ballroom is filled with guests for a ribbon-cutting, dinner and eventual show by Brady O'Brien Live in June 2023.

It has been the site of numerous dances and concerts, perhaps the most notable of which featured Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson a couple days before their 1959 deaths in a plane crash near Clear Lake.

Chris O’Brien, Brady O’Brien and Joe Tuel formed Laramar Acquisition Co. LLC in 2022 and bought the building in June of that year, potentially saving it from demolition. The renovation commenced shortly after they took ownership.

The new owners received a $100,000 Community Catalyst and Remediation Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to help pay for the work. The City Council provided the $10,000 in matching funds needed for the grant. That money came from the city’s economic development revolving fund.

Casey Johnson, speaking on behalf of the Growth Alliance Ambassadors, called the ribbon-cutting event “a historic night for Fort Dodge.”

He noted the economic impact that reviving the ballroom will have.

“Investing in our downtown area is what makes us thrive,” Johnson said.