The Riviera was designed by architect James Roy Allen and built during the Depression by the city of Lake Geneva to provide jobs for local workers. Its $55,000 cost was paid through the sale of public bonds. Construction began on March 2, 1932, and it formally opened on May 22, 1933, featuring Wayne King and his orchestra. Originally called Northport, it received the name The Riviera from entries in a local contest. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Riviera Ballroom hosted big bands including Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Louis Armstrong. In the 1970s, the ballroom became the Top Deck and featured stars such as Chubby Checker, Herman's Hermits, and Stevie Wonder. In 1983 the city restored the Riviera as a civic events space. In 1986, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the United States Department of the Interior placed it on the State and National Register of Historic Places.