“The Krewe of Apollo” began in the late 1927. This organization was attracted to older teenagers and debutantes in New Orleans. Not only was the event to attract the younger set but it was also to acknowledge the royal court members at the ball.
Miss Patricia Whitney Brown was the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Temple Brown. She was crowned queen of the “Krewe of Apollo” ball In March 1946. The queen of the evening was being entertained at a supper at the New Orleans Country Club. This was for the members of the court and committee of Apollo and a few others.
The ball of the krewe was originally held at the Tip-Top Club at the Roosevelt. This was a fancy ballroom that was popular with Mardi Gras parties and musical shows. It was on the 12th floor and was The Roosevelt’s main entertainment venue before the creation of the Famous Blue Room in 1935 They originally built this Inn 1893. The area occupied by the Tip-Top was later refurbished and today has been converted into suite rooms.
The Krewe continued to hold balls, and crown young queens and kings from local college students. On March 1, 1946 the ball was held at the Municipal Auditorium, which opened in January 1930. This venue was used as an opera house, concert hall, stadium, Greek theater, and a setting for Many Carnival Balls even today. This space had included a make-up room with a passage to the stage for Mardi Gras royalty to make a special entrance. Which was perfect for the krewe because the kids needed to be in a royal court to be crowned. The old Krewe of Apollo continued until 2015.
If you Google “The Mystic Krewe of Apollo” today you will find a much different organization. The one still going today was born in 1969 and is a celebration of the gay community.
Work Cited
A Closer Walk. 2020. Municipal Auditorium. [online] Available at: <https://acloserwalknola.com/places/municipal-auditorium/> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
Times-Picayune, 4 Mar. 1946, p. 16. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current,
En.wikipedia.org. 2020. The Roosevelt New Orleans. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roosevelt_New_Orleans> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
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