The Pavilion, Union Park

This is "The Pavilion" or the dance hall. It was the first building to the right as visitors walked into the park and down The Promenade. The creek actually ran under the corner of the dance hall. This is a charming postcard; I have seen it tinted with a green roof in other collections. Note the 2 girls on the veranda and the man seated on the bench. You will see him again in an upcoming post.

Under magnification, you can see electric lines and hanging lights. Also, there is faint writing in pencil visible on the roof. It is difficult to decipher and I can not make out the second word. It says, " Dance _______ hall floor"

All that remains of the site today is the tree with 3 trunks on the left and the triangle garden in the center of the sidewalk. To this day purple Irises and Bleeding Hearts still bloom in the garden even though it is overgrown with weeds. It would be a great restoration project for someone interested in historical gardening. Also, the portion of sidewalk in the bottom center of the image leads to the Waiting Area.

When the park was dismantled, the fountain on the left ended up at the Ryan House in Dubuque where customers could see it first hand. However, now it may be residing at the Dubuque Arboretum. According to Encyclopedia Dubuque, the other fountain, went to the former home of Joseph A. Rhomberg.