Built in 1905 years after the World's Fair, The White City Ballroom was part of the White City Amusement Park which was formally located on a large stretch of land starting at 63rd and South Parkway (Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.). White City, as many people called it, had a roller coaster, carnival games and rides, a ballroom and also their famous skating rink. The Ballroom housed performers such as Duke Ellington to perform in their "white only" space. White City ran through a lot of finaical problems when the Depression hit in the 1930s and all that was left open until 1949 was the roller skating rink.