Sons of Hermann Hall - Dallas, TX - German-American Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

Dallas Lodge #22 was chartered in 1890 as Uhland lodge #22. Columbia Lodge was chartered in 1893. In 1910 the then four Dallas lodges (out of necessity and, more importantly, unity) pooled their resources and built the hall at 3414 Elm. The grand opening was held in April of 1911. Sons of Hermann Hall is a Dallas CIty Landmark and a Texas Historic Landmark. To this day we have many life-long members of both lodges, some of whom first visited The Hall as infants. Their memories of days gone by are held precious and priceless.

Sons of Hermann Hall opened to the public circa 1980 and shortly thereafter added new traditions that led to The Hall becoming an iconic Dallas Music Venue and Dancehall as well as a premier Private Events Venue. When you visit The Hall you will notice the architectural beauty, inside and out, of our 105 year old building. Walk through the doors and you may think you have taken a step back in time. On the first floor you will find our beautiful bar, our meeting room, the Grand Staircase, and, in the back, the Old Bowling Alley. Upstairs you will find the Grand Ballroom. The Hall, and the Ballroom, became famous in the 1980s for the incredible music and musicians that graced the stage. Movies and television shows have been filmed at Sons of Hermann Hall as well. The Ballroom was the police station in the original "Robocop" movie and the winner of the first season of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, passed her first audition, at Sons of Hermann Hall.

Historical Marker Text

The national fraternal organization Sons of Hermann was organized in New York in 1840 to help preserve German traditions while easing the transition of German immigrants into American society. The Grand Lodge of Texas formed in 1890 in San Antonio with eight lodges. In the 1890s, the Dallas Uhland Lodge #22, Columbia Lodge #66, Fortuna Lodge #119, and Germania Lodge #5 joined the Grand Lodge of Texas. Along with annual events such as parades and statewide chapter meetings, the Sons of Hermann in Dallas also organized a school in 1893 to teach children how to read and speak the German language. In 1898, the Dallas chapters requested that the Texas State Fair designate a German Day. The celebration included speeches in English and German, music, and observance of German/American Heritage Day and the landing of the first Germans in America.

In 1910, the four organizations filed for a charter to acquire a suitable building for meetings. The building erected on Elm Street in 1910 was meant to be temporary, but it found permanent use as a dance hall, bowling alley, and meeting place. By the 1920s, the Sons of Hermann in Texas was one of the largest and most successful fraternal groups in the nation. Original membership was reserved for individuals of German descent, but by 1994 membership opened to all ethnic groups. Today, the Sons of Hermann in Dallas remain active in the community with dances, parties, participation in the State Fair, golf tournaments, and youth activities, and continue to served the area through charitable activities. In keeping with the Sons of Hermann motto, "Friendship, Love and Loyalty."