The Casino Ballroom stood on The Strip, just west of the New Inn (today’s Swiss Chalet).
It was built in the spring of 1915 by a group of investors: George Glick, Maurice Johnston, and Mrs. Bert (Jennie) Munger Gregory. In 1917, Glick and Johnston purchased Gregory’s share.
The idea for a dance hall at the lake came from Glick, who had worked as a dance instructor in Geneva. Through his teaching and attendance at dance conventions, he became acquainted with Johnston, who ran a dancing school in Canton. Together, they operated the Casino Ballroom until 1937, when the investors sold it to the Pera family.
The Pera family had opened their Pier Ballroom in 1928, and seeking to eliminate competition, they purchased the Casino. Initially, they converted it into a skating rink, but the venture struggled. After several years, they reimagined the space as the Casino Gardens, a nightclub.
The ballroom operated as a nightclub until 1953, when it became an arcade, known as Sportland Arcade. The building survived a nearby fire in 1952 that destroyed the Sportland Penny Arcade, but in 1979, a fire ultimately claimed the Casino.
George Glick passed away on April 28, 1938, survived by his wife, Zora, and their daughter, Mrs. Erlyn Gordon of Shaker Heights.
Source: Geneva Free Press, April 29, 1938, “George Glick, former lake resident dies”
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Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 44041
