Utah is home to several shuttered ballrooms that have become subjects of supernatural stories and urban legends. According to a Salt Lake Magazine report published October 29, these historic venues often feature grand architecture now characterized by peeling paint and crumbling columns.
In Ogden, the Berthana Ballroom was established in 1915 as a retail development second story by Bertha Eccles and Anna Dee. The venue hosted weddings, beauty pageants, and boxing matches before its popularity declined when big band dancing fell out of favor. The floor was converted into a roller rink in the late 1940s and the venue shuttered in the 1980s. Local tenant Rory Rich described the building as a beautiful place during a recent visit.
The Old Mill Club, located near Big Cottonwood Canyon, grew from a 1927 reconstruction of the Granite Paper Mill following a fire. The site served as a glamorous resort and Prohibition-era speakeasy that hosted artists like Alice Cooper and Steve Miller Band in the 1970s. The building was condemned in 2005 and has been named one of Preservation Utah’s 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places due to proposed demolition for townhomes.
In Delta, Van’s Hall was created in 1923 by Billy Van de Vanter as a dance hall and house of mirrors. The hall featured a floor made of melted shellac records and thousands of mirrored glass tiles. While the hall has been closed to the public since its last recorded event in 1975, efforts are underway to restore it to code.
The ballroom at Fish Lake Lodge, known as Skougaard’s, was built in 1933 using native spruce logs. While the main lodge sells supplies during the summer, the ballroom remains empty for 51 weeks of the year. It is used once annually for the Fish Lake Frolic square dancing event in July.
Saltair, once known as the Coney Island of the West, suffered a major fire in 1925. Although a second structure was built, the resort eventually closed in 1958 following various environmental and accidental factors. While the current Saltair III is a successful concert venue, the site remains surrounded by rumors of paranormal activity and legends regarding a figure known as Saltair Sally.
