Best Venue: Auditorium Ballroom can host 300-person event

As a developer, Mike Bird has overseen buildings sprouting from the street, but a special project has him trading in his construction hat for a suit and spending a lot more time attending weddings.

Bird is the developer and owner of the Auditorium Ballroom in downtown LaSalle, voted by readers as Best Venue. In a few short years, it has become a popular choice for couples.

“I had always hoped it would be something, but I never thought it would grow to the extent it has,” Bird said.

As a general contractor, Bird has worked on his share of projects, developing a variety of commercial buildings during his 18-year career. When he decided to take on the redevelopment of an old commercial building in downtown La Salle, he couldn’t have predicted the path the project created for him.

Bird said he knew he wanted to turn the first floor into commercial rental properties, but he wasn’t sure what to do with the 10,000 square feet on the second floor. He started the building renovations in 2017, and it wasn’t long before he began to learn more about the building’s history. It was a car dealership around 1910, and later, it was converted into a ballroom where musicians like Louis Armstrong performed. Then, locals visited with him to talk about how they were married in the ballroom in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

“That got me wondering, ‘What kind of venue could this be?’” Bird said. “I thought we have good bones to work off of to make it a very elegant wedding venue.”

Following research, he crafted a business plan and stripped the building down to replace electrical and plumbing, and added a new roof and new windows, too.

Bird said he initially hoped the venue could provide additional revenues, hosting maybe 20 or 30 weddings a year. In roughly three years, the venue has hosted more than 280 events and as of July of this year, he was booked every weekend through the end of the year, with events booked for most of 2025 and into 2027.

“We have been a lot busier than what I expected,” Bird said, adding that he was taken by surprise to learn the Auditorium Ballroom had been voted Best Venue.

Bird’s vision for the location was to create an elegant wedding venue, mixing the original exposed bricks with vintage chandeliers he salvaged and repurposed. He used oak as the wood for the new hardwood flooring, adding how it looks old, worn, and elegant.

The venue has a liquor license and manages the onsite bar. Event hosts manage their own catering, and the site has chairs and tables onsite.

The Auditorium Ballroom can accommodate a 300-person event, Bird said. The first-floor space is available to host smaller events, including bridal showers, baby showers, and anniversary and birthday dinners for up to 70 guests. Bird said it’s special knowing his venue was chosen by individuals and families as the location for such monumental life milestones.

While the second-floor venue is primarily for weddings, Bird has been able to accommodate a few other events, including prom for St. Bede High School.

For Bird, it’s been exciting to see how the venue has taken off, and he enjoys having the ability to help boost the local economy, bringing people to the area and benefiting other local businesses.

“It’s definitely been good as we’re bringing people to check out the area. It’s definitely helping out everybody,” Bird said.