Balinese Room | |
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 Balinese Room in 2006 before its destruction byHurricane Ike | |
  Balinese Room  Balinese Room | |
| Location | 2107 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°17′24″N94°47′08″W / 29.2900°N 94.7856°W /29.2900; -94.7856 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1942 (1942) |
| Architect | Raymond R. Rapp |
| Demolished | September 13, 2008 |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000258[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 2, 1997 |
| Removed from NRHP | January 8, 2009 |
TheBalinese Room was a famousnightclub inGalveston, Texas, United States built on a pier stretching 600 feet (183 m) from theGalveston Seawall over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.[2] For decades a dance hall and illegalcasino, the Balinese Room was remodeled and reopened in 2001 without a casino. During the early morning hours of September 13, 2008, the structure was destroyed byHurricane Ike.[2]
Operated bySicilian barbers-turned-bootleggersSam andRosario Maceo, the Balinese Room (also known as Maceo's Grotto) was an elite spot in the 1930s and 1940s (Galveston'sopen era), featuring entertainment byFrank Sinatra,Bob Hope,George Burns, theMarx Brothers and other top acts of the day.[2]Patrons of the private club includedHoward Hughes,Sophie Tucker and wealthyoil barons from nearbyHouston.[3]
In 1997, it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. The Balinese is featured in pop culture; Rock groupZZ Top wrote and performed a song about the club called, "Balinese".
The Maceos took over "Chop Suey", a small restaurant at the intersection of 21st Street andSeawall Boulevard, and in 1929 they opened "Maceo's Grotto" at that location.[4] It was one of many entertainment venues that popped up along the Galveston Seawall around that time (along with bathhouses and dance clubs, some of which were illegal casinos). In 1932, the "Grotto" was remodeled into aChinese restaurant called "Sui Jen" (pronounced Swee Rin), and a 200-foot pier stretching out over the Gulf was added to the building. The pier location, across 21st Street from the Galvez, made the restaurant/club an easy walk for those Galveston visitors who preferred to stay in one of the city's most exclusive hotels.
The Oriental-sounding name was changed to the more exotic sounding Balinese Room in 1942, after theJapanese attack onPearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the decor was modified accordingly. The pier was also expanded to 600 feet. The Balinese Room's private back room was equipped with the most moderngaming (gambling) equipment, and the Maceos' advertisements invited high rollers to "Come Down and Play on Galveston Island."[5]
During this period it also became Balinese Room lore that head bartender Santos Cruz "invented" theMargarita for singerPeggy Lee in 1948. He supposedly named it after the Spanish version of her name, Margarita, and it's been a hit ever since.[6] However, there is an account from 1936 of Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a cocktail in Tijuana, years before any of the other margarita "creation myths".[7]
The club's illegal gambling made it a hub ofmob activity. It was well known that the casino, at the far end of the pier, was operating in violation of the law. But the Maceos had many allies in the local government and on the police force, so charges were never filed. The sheriff ofGalveston County at the time, when called before theTexas Legislature to testify about why the club remained open, replied that he wasn't a member of the private club so he couldn't get in.
In 1956,Will Wilson was elected asTexas Attorney General after campaigning to "close down Galveston" and its illegal casinos using theTexas Rangers. The Rangers set up shop in a hotel near the club, and raided the casino often. But their efforts were thwarted by the length of the pier, known as the "Rangers Run". By the time they ran down to the tail end of the long, narrow club, tables, cards and chips had disappeared into secret wall and floor pockets. The band often would strike up the song "The Eyes of Texas" upon their arrival.
Later on, the Rangers attempted to disrupt the business through nonstop surveillance – they simply sat in the casino all day, every day. Customers, intimidated by the Rangers' presence, were less frequent and business suffered.[8] The club nevertheless stayed open. The Rangers finally launched an undercover operation. Ranger Clint Peoples managed to pose as a customer and was admitted to the club and witnessed the gambling. His work coordinated with a raid enabled the gambling equipment in the club to be seized.[9] The club finally closed its doors on May 30, 1957.
In 1961,Hurricane Carla damaged the structure. Many of the piers that supported the structure had been washed away, and over following years, the building continued to decay.
In the 1970s the Balinese Room was purchased and reopened by oil tycoon Johnny Mitchell, who turned the casino into a dinner club and disco. Many celebrities appeared at the Club during these years. After Mitchell died in 1996, the Balinese Room and its pier eventually became the property of the State ofTexas. A local attorney, Scott Arnold, took out a 60-year lease on the pier, and in 2001, reopened the Balinese Room for business. In addition to the Balinese Room itself, which was used for live music, parties, and weekend public dining, the pier had a salon, retail shops and a massage therapy room with a glass floor.
Much of the original Balinese structure and decor had been either modified or destroyed over the years, but the South Seas interior decor of the large ballroom survived and was restored to match its 1940s appearance. The hallway of the long pier was lined with autographed photos of past performers and other memorabilia.
AsHurricane Ike approached Galveston on Friday, September 12, 2008, thestorm surge raised the water level to a point where waves were occasionally topping theGalveston Seawall, sending water and debris onto Seawall Boulevard.
Later that night and early Saturday morning,Hurricane Ike barreled ashore, with the eye of the storm tracking into Galveston Bay. Although the pier was higher than the seawall, Ike's storm surge, waves, and wind were more than the 79-year-old structure could handle. After having survived hurricanesCarla,Alicia, and numerous smaller storms, the famous old club was destroyed. Only plywood, rubble, metal and the famed red door were left after the hurricane passed through.
The Balinese Room is celebrated in a 1975song by the bandZZ Top.
The 1989 filmNight Game featured the Balinese Room as a filming location.
The 1993 filmDazed and Confused played an excerpt of the aforementioned ZZ Top song "Balinese".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
