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64 Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2
The Destruction of a Galveston, Texas Landmarkby Ed Hertel
OnSeptember13,2008,theresidentsofGalveston,Texas,wokeupandemergedfromtheirwindbatteredhomestofindanislandofdevastation.HurricaneIkehadmadelandfallandbroughtallthefuryofaCategory4stormuntotheisland.Acrossthecountry,storiesandimagesoftheweatherbeatencommunityflashedacrosstelevisions.Newsreportersstoodbypilesofrubble,waterandcompletechaostryingtoconveytheutterdevastationandlossofthecity.Asthedisastertollrose,abetterpictureemergedastowhatwaslost;includinghundredsofhomes,businesses,hotelsandoneveryimportanthistoricallandmark.
Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2 65
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.
66 Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2
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.
Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2 67
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
68 Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2
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,
Casino Chip and Token news | Volume 22 Number 2 69
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
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