She talked about her ballroom memories while taking photos with her phone.

“My mom and dad, Betty and Bill Gieseke had lots of fun bowling and dancing there in the 1940s and 1950s. Dad was a World War II Veteran. I remember running around those orange seats while my mom and dad bowled. I went to a few wedding dances at the ballroom. I didn’t dance there in the 1960s. I was out on the farm and pretty young then,” said Rubey.

As a frigid wind blew, a big scoop shovel on the excavator made crunching, crashing sounds as it picked up piles of concrete and wood at the south end of the ballroom.

Florian “Woody” Wurtzberger sat in his pickup truck, watching the final moments of the ballroom.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Kathy Rubey of New Ulm stands across German Street from George’s Ballroom as building demolition begins Monday. She recalled watching her parents bowl in the ballroom as a youngster. A misting machine to reduce dust, can be seen at the right side of the photo.

“That’s where I learned to dance in my younger days. I used to pester my aunt, Alice Sellner, to show me how to dance polkas, waltzes and two-steps. I had a lot of good times at George’s Ballroom. I remember dancing to the Elmer Scheid and Wally Pikal bands. I started dancing in the late 1950s. Later my wife and I danced to rock and roll and the two-set there,” said Wurtzberger.

Pikal, a Brownton native, was known for his ability to play multiple trumpets at the same time while jumping on a pogo stick. His one-man vaudeville show appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “The Mike Douglas Show.”

“On New Year’s Eve, you’d go the ballroom and kiss all the girls,” he said.

“I met a lot of people in there. I enjoyed a lot of good times with huge crowds. There were so many wedding dances back then, sometimes they were in the middle of the week. The big stores weren’t open in the middle of the week, so lots of people had time to go out and celebrate.

Wurtzberger, 78, said he still enjoys Sunday afternoon ballroom dancing with a partner and group of friends at the Pla-Mor Ballroom in Glencoe.

A scoop shovel starts the demolition of George's Ballroom by removing scrap degree at the back of the building. Photo by Clay Schuldt

“Young people don’t really dance anymore. They just jiggling around. To me, that’s not dancing,” he said.

George’s Ballroom site plans include creating a new building with residential and retail space. Managed by Coldwell Banker Commercial Fisher Group of Mankato, ballroom demolition is expected to last about 3 weeks. No parking will be allowed on the north and east side of the building and in the alley.

Fisher Group Managing Director Dain Fisher said following demolition, brief public engagement will take place before the architect’s final design is made.

“We’re happy to be here in New Ulm. We think it’s a great community. We love the market and think the ballroom property is a great opportunity,” Fischer told the New Ulm City Council this fall.

Landwehr Construction Project Manager Aaron Wendlandt said his company is treating demolition debris as hazardous waste and it is working with the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) and Minnesota Department of Health.

The scoop shovel moves into the interior of George's Ballroom. A construction worker wearing respirator watches from the German Street side of the building.

“We’re using a machine that uses mist to knock down dust. We plan to load trucks with as much material daily as we can. Truck loads will be sealed,” he said.

The colorful art deco building quickly became popular with young couples getting back together after World War II. Performers including Lawrence Welk, The Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, “Whoopie” John, and the Six Fat Dutchmen performed at George’s

The ballroom included a bowling alley, restaurant and bar. It closed in 1991 and was acquired by Brown County in a tax foreclosure case. Later sold at auction, it reopened briefly.

Tax-forfeited back to Brown County in July 2019, the Brown County board of commissioners authorized its demolition in September 2019 due to the ballroom’s dilapidated condition. Trees and shrubs were growing out of the roof and mold was found inside the building.