Cotillion Ballroom

The Cotillion Ballroom

The Cotillion
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Location	11120 West Kellogg, Wichita, Kansas 67209
Coordinates	37.666633°N 97.471089°W
Owner	Richard Leslie
Capacity	2,000
Construction
Opened	December 7, 1960
Architect	Robert T. Morris

The Cotillion Ballroom is the third largest concert venue in the Wichita, Kansas area. It is a special events facility that hosts concerts, dances, comedians, and stage shows featuring nationally known artists and performers. This special events facility is available to rent for concerts, dances, banquets, corporate events, wedding receptions, trade shows, and private parties.

Built in 1960, The Cotillion is a 28,500 square foot building with a maximum concert capacity of 2000 persons. The unique circular design of the building has large wooden beams supporting a 24 foot high domed ceiling over an 11,000 square foot floating hardwood maple dance floor and a stage that features a distinctive neon lit band shell. As a fun fact... it would take 1,812,946.65 soccer balls to fill The Cotillion!

All ages are allowed to attend events at The Cotillion unless otherwise stated. A full service bar is available serving mixed drinks, beers & wines. All persons purchasing or consuming alcoholic beverages must be 21 & older. Snack items such as hot dogs, nachos, pizza & popcorn are also sold at the concession stands. For most events doors open to the public 1 to 1 1/2 hours prior to the start of the show. Handicapped persons are allowed to enter the building a few minutes prior to the opening of the doors to the general public. Handicapped parking is available adjacent to the front door. No food or drink may be brought in to the building unless prior arrangements have been made. No weapons of any kind are allowed. No audio or video recorders are allowed without permission.

The facility is over 50 years old, with its opening event held on December 7, 1960. During the late 1950's Wichita needed a place to go for all kinds of entertainment including concerts, dances and rental space for private functions. The concept of building The Cotillion was spear-headed by Jad Wolf, a local realtor, who connected a group of 21 investors. Land was purchased, a design was crafted, the contractors hired and the rest is "History".

Opening night was a glamorous affair on December 7, 1960 with arriving guests greeted by valet parking and tuxedoed doormen. Once inside, couples were drawn to the spacious maple floor to dance the night away to the music of the Ted Weems Orchestra. The early years of The Cotillion featured a gallery of great artists and sold out shows - Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Si Zentner, and Norman Lee. As the times changed, so did The Cotillion, bringing rock n roll and a new generation of fans to see the Everly Brothers, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Yardbirds, Ted Nugent, Bonnie Raitt and Pat Benatar. Country music fans were not left out. The Cotillion's dance floor was packed to the music of Ray Price, George Jones, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel and later with Hank Williams Jr., Chris LeDoux, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and LeAnn Rimes. R&B also became increasingly popular as The Cotillion brought in such acts as BB King, The Ohio Players, Muddy Waters, Etta James, and Buddy Guy. It became quickly apparent that to flourish in a market the size of Wichita, diversity and versatility were the name of the game. The Cotillion found an eager audience for sit-down shows featuring comedians Danny Thomas, Rowan & Martin and more recently, Jeff Foxworthy, Jeff Dunham, Carrot Top, Larry the Cable Guy, Dave Chapelle, and Carlos Mencia. The ever growing Mexican population in Wichita and the surrounding areas were being entertained at The Cotillion, too. From the Tex-Mex sounds of Little Joe Y La Familia, Sunny & the Sunliners, Ruben & Alphonso Ramos and today to the regional sounds of Los Tigres del Norte, Polo Urias, Conjunto Primavera and Los Rieleros del Norte, a wide variety of music is being enjoyed. A timeline of performers can be found on The Cotillion's official website as well as photos from past and recent concerts.

The Cotillion Ballroom has also enjoyed 50 years of hosting banquets, receptions, and corporate events just to name a few. Without the restrictions of permanent seating and the use of 28,000 square feet, The Cotillion can provide accommodations for just about any type of event. The unique circular design of the building, high domed ceiling, floating hardwood maple dance floor and a stage that features a distinctive neon lit band shell is sure to make any event a memorable one. Complete facilities for 150 to 2,000 people are available along with an open catering policy, 2 full service bars, coat check, and plenty of free parking . Setup, cleanup, and professional staffing is included in all of our rental packages. Additional services include entertainment booking, event management, and connections to local vendors. Located 2 1/2 miles from Mid-Continent Airport, quality hotels and restaurants are nearby.

The Cotillion's Green Initiatives Becoming increasingly aware of the need to be more environmentally conscious, The Cotillion participates by making positive contributions to do their part to preserve natural resources and protecting the environment. They have reduced their negative environmental impact by: - Replacing all 10 commercial air conditioners with new energy efficient models and have in place a strategic schedule to cool/heat the building with low demand during peak times. - Installing room heat pump AC's for daily use in the offices to maximize cooling and heating and minimize energy usage. - Using all new efficient lighting in ballroom dome. - Using Certified Green hand towels are used exclusively throughout the building. - Using foam hand soap -- uses less soap and less water to rinse -- used throughout the building. - Using china, glass, and stainless used in house for staff and artists. - Recycling/reusing paper, catalogs, and envelopes. - Switching to email newsletters to reduce paper usage and carbon footprint. - Providing direct deposit for payroll to reduce paper usage. - Using e-billing when available to reduce paper usage.

See also

• Kansas Coliseum
• Charles Koch Arena
• Intrust Bank Arena
• Hartman Arena

External links

• The Official Homepage of The Cotillion Ballroom
• The Cotillion on 360Wichita.com
• The Official Cotillion MySpace page
• The Official Cotillion Facebook page
• The Official Cotillion Twitter page