Balinese Room
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Balinese Room in 2006
Location:	2107 Seawall Boulevard Galveston, Texas
Built/Founded:	1920
Architect:	Rapp and Rapp
Governing body:	State of Texas
Added to NRHP:	April 2, 1997
Removed from NRHP:	January 8, 2009
NRHP Reference#:	97000258

The Balinese Room was a well-known nightclub in Galveston, Texas, United States built on a pier stretching 600 feet (183 m) from the Galveston Seawall over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.^[1] For decades a dance hall and illegal casino, the Balinese Room was remodeled and reopened in 2001 without the gambling.

Operated by Sicilian immigrant barbers-turned-bootleggers Sam and Rosario Maceo, the Balinese Room was an elite spot during the 1940s and 1950s, featuring entertainment by Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, George Burns, The Marx Brothers and other top acts of the day.^[1] Patrons of the private club included Howard Hughes, Sophie Tucker and wealthy oil barons from nearby Houston.^[2]

In 1997, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

During the early morning hours of September 13, 2008, the structure was completely destroyed by Hurricane Ike.^[1]

[edit] History

[edit] 20th century

The Maceos took over "Chop Suey," a small restaurant at the intersection of 21st Street and Seawall Boulevard, and in 1929 they opened "Maceo's Grotto" at that location. 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 a Chinese 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 the Japanese attack on Pearl 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 modern gaming equipment, and the Maceos' advertisements invited high rollers to "Come Down and Play on Galveston Island."^[3]

The club's illegal gambling made it a hub of mob 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 of Galveston County at the time, when called before the Texas 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 as Texas Attorney General after campaigning to "close down Galveston" and its illegal casinos using the Texas 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 — 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.

The Rangers did eventually shut the club down, but not through heavy-handed tactics — they simply sat in the casino all day, every day. Customers, intimidated by the Rangers' presence, began to stop coming. As a result, business was so bad that the club eventually closed its doors on May 30, 1957.^[4]

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.

The 1989 film Night Game featured the Balinese Room as a filming location.

[edit] 21st century

The Balinese Room as it existed after reopening in 2001, and before it was destroyed in 2008.

After sitting vacant for 20 years, the Balinese Room and its pier eventually became the property of the State of Texas. 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.

[edit] Destruction

Balinese Room on September 12, shortly before its destruction

As Hurricane Ike approched Galveston on Friday, September 12, 2008, the storm surge raised the water level to a point where waves were occasionally topping the Galveston Seawall, sending water and debris onto Seawall Boulevard.

Site of the Balinese Room in October 2008

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 seventy-nine year old structure could handle. After having survived hurricanes Carla, Alicia, and numerous smaller storms, the famous old club was completely destroyed. Only plywood, rubble, metal and the famed red door were left after the hurricane passed through.^{[5][broken citation]}

[edit] Popular culture

• The Balinese Room was seen several times in the film Night Game in 1989.
• ZZ Top wrote a song about the Balinese Room. The song, "Balinese," appeared on the 1975 album Fandango!:

Deep in the South of Texas

not so long ago,

there on a crowded island

in the Gulf of Mexico.

It didn't take too much money,

man, but it sure was nice.

You could dance all night if you felt all right,

drinking whiskey and throwing dice.

And everybody knows

it was hard to leave.

And everybody knows

it was down at the Balinese.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Balinese Room, Galveston

• Balinese Room official site
• "Summer Fun". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved Jul. 20, 2005.
• Balinese Room article at GalvestonHistory.info
• Galveston's Balinese Room washed away by Ike
• Balinese Room, Galveston Landmark, Destroyed - Click2Houston.com

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