Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On August 11, 1968, Jimi Hendrix rocked the Coliseum in Davenport. An iconic Iowa music venue, the building has also hosted acts including the Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King over the decades.
The original Coliseum of Davenport was built in 1898 to accommodate the 18th annual Saengerfest. Featuring ten German singing groups, the event welcomed more than 12,000 spectators. As part of the festival, organizers built a 4,000-seat auditorium. In 1906, new owners added a second floor and opened the venue as a dance hall called the Coliseum. A fire consumed the building on October 21, 1913.
The following year, in November of 1914, owner Leo Kerker opened a new Coliseum building across West Fourth Street from where the original Saengerfesthalle stood. A steel-framed brick building designed by Clausen & Burrows of Davenport, the venue sports a sign reading ‘The Col Ballroom’ over the main entrance.
As Hendrix reigned atop the rock and roll world in 1968, he took the stage at ‘The Col’ for an 8:00 p.m. show. Fans packed in to hear hits including “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze” as ‘The Col’ rocked late into the night just two years before the singer’s death. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily
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