Original article from Dearborn Patch by Beth Dalbey can be found here

DEARBORN, MI – The Hubbard Ballroom in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center is getting an update as part of ongoing Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department efforts to address changing community needs.

The Hubbard Ballroom was part of the former Dearborn Civic Center, which was built in the late 1950s. Originally named the Dome Room, the space was designed for roller skating, which was a popular activity during the post-war era.

As interest in roller skating diminished, the Dome Room became more of a multi-use facility, hosting dances, sports banquets, trade shows and concerts. When the Dearborn Ford Community & Performing Arts Center was constructed in 1999-2000, the Dome Room was retained and incorporated into the new building.

It was renamed at the time in honor of a longtime — and controversial — former mayor, Orville Hubbard, who is credited with policies that made Dearborn an important suburb during the post World War II years, but criticized as an unapologetic segregationist.

A statue of Hubbard stood for years at the old city hall, which was sold for development. Activists asked that it be retired entirely as a “relic of racism” that serves Dearborn poorly, and the statue will be permanently housed at the Dearborn Historical Museum, where his segregationist views will be reflected in signage.

The ballroom that bears Hubbard’s name is about to change again, though the name itself will remain intact.

The current renovation will create a more specialized facility, transforming the 15,000-square-foot room into a banquet hall with rich mahogany paneling on the walls, a refurbished hardwood floor, encircling soffits and entirely new accent lighting.

“This renovation will create a one-of-a-kind facility in Dearborn,” Martin Zbosnik, who is overseeing the project for the Recreation & Parks Department, said in a statement.

“With its 800-guest capacity, the new Hubbard Ballroom will offer both elegance and functionality at affordable prices for any type of gala gathering from class reunions, to banquets, to wedding receptions,” he said.

The renovation is expected to be completed in early April.

For more information concerning the new Hubbard Ballroom, or to book an event, call the Sales Department at (313) 943-2381.