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The Destruction of a Galveston, Texas Landmarkby Ed Hertel

OnSeptember13,2008,theresidentsofGalveston,Texas,wokeupandemergedfromtheirwindbatteredhomestofindanislandofdevastation.HurricaneIkehadmadelandfallandbroughtallthefuryofaCategory4stormuntotheisland.Acrossthecountry,storiesandimagesoftheweatherbeatencommunityflashedacrosstelevisions.Newsreportersstoodbypilesofrubble,waterandcompletechaostryingtoconveytheutterdevastationandlossofthecity.Asthedisastertollrose,abetterpictureemergedastowhatwaslost;includinghundredsofhomes,businesses,hotelsandoneveryimportanthistoricallandmark.

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Almostasanafterthought,thenewsreportedonthedestructionoftheBalineseRoom.Itwasdescribedasanightclub,aProhibitiongamblingjoint,andalocal“curiosity”.NoneofthesereportsfullyexplainedthesignificanceofthisstructureinthehistoryofGalvestonoritsinfluenceongambling.

ThestoryoftheBalineseRoomissointertwinedwithGalvestongamblinghistoryitisimpossibletomentiononesubjectwithouttalkingaboutthemboth.

ThehistoryoforganizedillegalgamblinginGalvestonhasitsgenesisinafamiliarevent–Prohibition.Noothereventhashadsuchaninfluenceon

strengtheningorganizedcrimethanthe“NobleExperiment”of1919.Withitsmilesofopenbeaches,GalvestonwasaperfectdistributionpointforboozefromtheCaribbeanandMexico.Skiffsloadedtothe

rimwithcaseswouldanchoroutsideoffederallimitsandbeunloadedbysmaller,fasterboatswhichracedtheCoastGuardinagameofcatandmouse.Oncetheseboatsmadeittothebeach,theywereunloadedontotrucksanddistributedthroughoutthedrycountry.

TwoveryenterprisingSicilianimmigrantbrothersnamedSalvatore“Sam”andRosario“Rose”MaceoranwhatwasknownastheBeachGang.Theirjobsweretocoordinatethesebeachlandingsandmakesuretheproduct

reacheditsintendeddestination.Throughyearsoftoughcontrol,thesetwobrothersgainedtherespectandfearoftheGalvestonunderworld.

In1924,whilethebootleggingbusinesswasatitsheight,

theMaceobrothersmetupwithO.E.“Dutch”Voight,alocalwiseguy.Theydecidedtoexpandtheiroperationsintogamblingandopenedseveral

smallclubsontheisland.Theirinterestsinhostinggrewuntil1926,whenthegroupboughttheHollywoodDinnerClubandtransformeditintotheswankiestclubintown.

ItwasattheHollywoodDinnerClubwheretheMaceosfoundtheirstrengthsandlearnedthegamblingtrade.Vastlydifferentfromoneanother,theirtrustmadethepartnershipstrongandtheirgamblingempireprosperedfromit.

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Rosario“PapaRose”Maceowasthedominatingforceandthefinancialbrainsbehindthepartnership.Hewasknowntobeshrewdinnegotiationsandunforgiving.Notoriousforashorttemper,hewasonceacquittedforkillingamanduringanargument.Hewasthekindofamanwhopeopledidnotwanttodisappointandwouldneverdoublecross.Thiswasneverbetterillustratedthaninthecasewherehisfirstwifewasmysteriouslymurdered–alongwiththemanshewashavinganaffairwith.Neithermurderswereeversolved.

Salvatore“Sam”Maceowasjusttheopposite.Hewasthefrontmanoftheteamwithasmileandawellmannereddemeanor.Hewascomfortablehobnobbingwiththecelebritiesandtookgreatprideingivingbacktothecommunitywithcharitablebenefits.

ItwasSamwhowasthefaceoftheMaceos,andRosethebrawn.Togetherthesetwoworkedtheirstrengthsandwereabletofinessethelocalswhileatthesametimefrightenthecompetition.Thisimageofthefriendlygodfathershelpedthemdobusinesswithoutmuchopposition.

IthasneverbeenclearwhetherthelocalpolicemerelyturnedablindeyetothegamblinginGalveston(afterall,theybroughtjobsandprosperity),orwhethertheywereonthetake.Eitherway,theMaceoswereallowedtoruntheirgamblingempirewithlittletofearfromthelaw.TheironlyobstacletocompleteimpunitywastheTexasRangers,whomadeitapointtocomedowntotheislandonoccasionandshowtheirstrengthbypublicly

crushingslotmachinesorgrindingupdicetables.Thoughtheseraidswerelittlemorethanoccasionalnuisances,thenegativepublicitywasanembarrassmentandpromptedtheMaceostocomeupwithwhattheybelievedtobearaidproofclub.

TheBalineseRoomwasnotdesignedfromthegroundup,butevolvedovertimeandthroughmanystages.ThefirstwaswhentheMaceosboughtadinnerclubcalledtheChopSueywhichhadtheunusuallocationofstandingoutonapierattheendof21stStreetandjuttedoutovertheGulfofMexico.

Theyimmediatelystartedrenovatingitbysettingupadinner

clubinthefrontofthebuildingandestablishingasmallgamblingclubintheback.Withallthisinplace,theyopenedin1929astheGrotto(sometimesreferredtoasMaceo’sGrotto).

A very rare photo of the Maceo’s first gambling establishment The Grotto.No chips, matchbooks, ashtrays or any other memorbilia is known.

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TheGrottowasimmediatelysuccessful,butthebrotherswerenotcontent.Theywantedtomakeastatementandthusstartedthesecondphaseoftheclub’sevolution.

In1932,theclubwascompletelytransformedintoanOrientalsplendorandrenamedtheSuiJenClub(pronouncedSweeRin).

ItwaswiththeSuiJenthattheMaceoshittheirstride.Theclubbroughtinthebestentertainmentinandthebiggestgamblingstakes.ForalmostadecadetheclubwasabletoattractthebigoilmoneyfromneighboringHoustonandpartsallovertheworld.ItwasfamousandseeminglyuntouchableuntilDecember1941whentheJapanesebombedPearlHarborandthewarwasbroughthome.KnowingthatpatrioticTexanswouldnotbeseeninaplacecalledtheSuiJen,theyclosedthedoors,brainstormed,andwenttoworkremodeling.

WhentheBalineseRoom(namedaftertheDutchcontrolledandAmericanallyBaliIsland)openeditsdoorsin1942,thecitizensofGalvestonknewthisclubwouldbethespotlightontheircity.WeeklyentertainmentwasnothingshortofthebiggestHollywoodhadtooffer–FrankSinatra,GeorgeBurns,SophieTucker,BobHope,the

listgoeson.ThegamblinginthebackwasalsoextendedandmoreandmoremoneypouredintotheclubandtheMaceo’spockets.

Duringthistimeofprosperity(bothduringandafterthewar),theMaceosexpandedtheirempire.Theynotonlycontrolledmostoftheillegalgamblingactionontheisland,

buttheyalsoownedthelocalcoinoperatedbusiness.Everyhotel,gasstation,laundrymatandgrocerystorecontainedMaceomachines.Theircontrolwassostrongandcompletethatnobodydared

compete.SmallclubsdidexistinGalveston,butonlywiththepermission(andprofitcut)oftheMaceobrothers.

Withbusinessinterestsallovertheisland,theMaceosboughtabuildingandestablishedtheircorporateheadquartersthere,callingittheTurfAthleticClub.Althoughitdidindeedcontainagym,alongwiththeofficestheupperfloorsconsistedoftwogamblingclubs(theWesternRoomandtheStudioLounge)andalargeoff-trackbettingcenter.

Evenwiththeirinterestsstretchedfarandwide,theirfocuswasontheBalineseRoomandalltheprestigeandmoneyitbroughtit.AlthoughtheresidentsofGalvestonenjoyedtheprosperitywhichtheMaceosbrought,noteveryonewashappy.TheTexasRangers,withtheirlongstandingresentmentofGalveston’sbrazenflauntingofthe

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law,continuedtheirharassmentoftheclubs.

Theysweptinfromtimetotimetomakearushontheclubs,butnevercouldtheyfindtheirwaytocatchtheBalineseRoomintheact.Withthebulkofthebuilding

standingovertheGulfandtheonlyentrancebeingthefrontdoor,theclubserveditspurposewellasaraidproofbuilding.InthetimeittooktheRangerstocomethroughthefrontdoor,weavethroughthepatrons,rundownthelonghallwayandbreakthroughthebackdoor,alltheslotmachinesandtableswerehiddeninsecretcompartments.Eventhoughthegamblingwasrenownintheclub,theycouldneverfindproof.

Asthe1940sfadedaway,sentimentofthegoodolddaysofgamblinginGalvestonwerestartingtowane.Theopennessoftheisland’sviceswerebecomingaproblemforthestateofficials,resultinginafirmerhandbeingused.In1951,forthefirsttime,indictmentsagainstgambling

werehandeddown–includingtheMaceos.Eventhoughtheseindictmentswouldeventuallybedismissed(byjudgefriendsoftheMaceos),thewritingwasonthewalls.

Locally,aTexasAttorneyGeneralnamedPriceDanielswasgearingupfora1952governorshiprunandmadeorganizedcrimeakeypoint.ThiscoincidedwithTennesseeSenatorEstesKefauver’srunfortheWhiteHouseusingthesameplatformoncrimereform.Thisaddedheat,alongwiththenationstartingtoembracemoralityoversin,drovegamblingundergroundinGalveston.Itwasstillrampant,buttheoperatorswereseenmoreandmoreascriminalsinsteadofcelebrities.Tomakethingsworse,LasVegaswasdrawinginthebesttalent,bothentertainmentandemployees.Thebigmoneypatronsflockedtothedesertinsteadofthebeachfortheirgamblingneeds.

FortheBalineseRoom,thebeginningoftheendcamewhenfrontmanSamMaceopassedawayin1951,followedbythebrainsRoseMaceoin1954.ThetorchwaspassedtothenextgenerationwhentheyoungcousinstotheMaceos,

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Anthony,FrankandVictorFertitta,boughttheinterestintheclubsandtookover.Theywouldcontinueoperatingforafewyears,butfinallyclosedthedoorstotheBalineseRoominMay1957andmovedtoLasVegas.

ThestructureoftheBalineseRoomstoodemptyandvulnerabletotheelements.In1961,adevastatingcategory5hurricanenamedCarlasweptthroughGalvestonandalmostbroughtthebuildingdown.Shesurvived,barely.In1983asmallerHurricaneAliciapunchedGalvestonbutfailedtobringherdown.

ThestartofthenewmillenniumhadgreathopesfortheGalvestonlandmarkwhenalocalgroupboughtthebuildingandsetaboutrepairingandrenovatingit.In2001,theBalineseRoomwasreopened.GonewerethecasinoandFrankSinatra,replacedbysalonsandretailshops.Perhapsnotthedaysofold,butitwasnicetoseetheclubrestoredtoherglory.

Hernewlifeasatouriststopwasshortlivedhowever.Therewas

littletheresidentscoulddoonthatSeptember2008eveningastheseaswelledandstartedpoundingtheBalineseRoom.Perhapsitwastheconfidencegainedaftersurvivingsomanyotherattacksfromthesea,butitwashardtoimaginethatwiththemorninglighttherewouldbenomoreofthegrand

BalineseRoom.

Today,allthatremainsarecrackedpylons,memoriesandthecountlessmemorabiliaremainingafterdecadesofbeingoneofAmerica’spremiergamblingclubs.

Photo by Greg Galloway