Central Music Hall
Springfield Journal Register, date of paper which originally published the following is unknown.
REMEMBER OLD CENTRAL MUSIC HALL AT 4TH AND JEFFERSON?
One of the few well-appointed places of entertainment in Springfield in the Nineties
was this substantial structure which stood on the northwest corner of 4th and
Washington - known as the Central Music Hall. It was erected in the Eighties by Fred
Ihlenfeldt and Frank Wiedlocher, partners in the wholesale flour and feed business. The auditorium, with
its reception rooms and other facilities, was a popular place for concerts, theatrical
performances - professional and amateur, dances and the like over a considerable period.
It presented a very attractive appearance, having an ample stage, comfortable seating accommodations, handsome
lighting fixtures and artistic decorative scheme. In the early 1900's, the name was changed to Arion Hall,
as it became the headquarters of the Arion Club, a German-American singing society, which had a full
calendar of musical and social activities. Our information is that the building was razed in 1929 to
make way for a service station. At the time of this picture, the store rooms in front were occupied by a sample room
and the E. S. Gard Grocery, while Ihlenfeldt & Wiedlocher utilized the rear part on 4th Street
for their business.
Submitted by: Jeanie Lowe.
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