Before Fountain City built its auditorium, Concordia Hall stood on the same site at Main and North Streets. It was a place for public meetings, music, dances and community gatherings. When it burned in December 1918, the city lost much more than a building.
This 1908 postcard shows the hall about ten years before the fire. The full street view puts it in its neighborhood, while the close-up shows the entrance, the men outside and the horse waiting beside the wooden railing.
A gathering place before the auditorium
According to the 1918 newspaper account used for the original story, the building was moved from “Yankee Town” at the lower end of Fountain City to the main part of town in 1856. An addition followed in 1857.
Over the years, Concordia Hall hosted public meetings, music festivals, singing festivals, band competitions and annual Scottish festivals honoring Robert Burns. During World War I, it was used for meetings supporting the war effort, community campaigns and Red Cross work.
Joseph Fischer owned and managed the building, which also contained a saloon. His family lived in part of it.
The December 1918 fire
On December 8, 1918, flames appeared on the roof and spread rapidly. A defective chimney was believed to be the cause. Concordia Hall and the saloon inside were destroyed. The loss was estimated at between $6,000 and $10,000.
Fountain City’s volunteer fire department fought the blaze with help from local women who formed a bucket brigade. Their efforts helped save neighboring buildings. The Winona Fire Department was called, but the request was canceled after local firefighters brought the blaze under control.
The fire left Fountain City without its main public gathering place.
Building a city-owned replacement
Fountain City eventually planned a municipal auditorium on the former Concordia Hall site.
On July 30, 1921, the Winona Republican-Herald reported that the city had awarded a $23,750 construction contract to the L. S. Schroeder Company of Fond du Lac. Auler & Jensen of Oshkosh designed the new building.
A later newspaper account said voters had approved a $30,000 municipal bond issue. It put the total cost, including equipment, at about $45,000.
A January 1922 newspaper notice announced an opening dance for February 3, followed by the formal dedication on Easter Monday, April 17, 1922.
The new auditorium seated about 750 people. It included a fully equipped stage, kitchen and dining facilities, gymnasium space, showers and two bowling alleys. It provided room for dances, shows, athletics and other community gatherings.
A hall people put to use
The crowds soon gave an indication of what the building meant to the community. According to the saved research from a 1926 Buffalo County Journal report, a carnival and masquerade dance drew more than 700 people. Nearly 100 were masked or costumed.
By 1927, just five years after it opened, a newspaper retrospective reported that the auditorium had already earned about $10,000 toward its cost. That was quite an accomplishment for a town the size of Fountain City.
Concordia Hall was gone, but people were gathering on the same corner again. Fountain City had built a replacement with room for a dance, a show, a basketball game or even a few frames of bowling.
Sources: Winona Republican-Herald, July 30, 1921; January 28, 1922 opening notice; The Billboard, May 6, 1922; Buffalo County Journal, 1926; auditorium retrospective, 1927. Images: River Town Explorer collection.