I got word last night that Broadway Billiards closed its doors for the last time yesterday ending 20+ years of pool at the 21st Street location. Although it was not a room I frequented, many of my friends took advantage of their cheap hourly rates and handful of well-maintained GC IIIs. Without a doubt, this will have a huge impact on the landscape of pool in Manhattan as hundreds of aspiring new players and long time veterans look for a new homeroom.
The place opened in the late 1980s in the Color Of Money boom under the name Society Billiards. The owners also had a club upstairs by the name Society Cafe and it was regarded as another upscale room in New York City. At that time, the Chelsea area was home to The Billiard Club (40+ tables), Chelsea Billiards (54 tables), Mammouth Billiards (40+ tables), Pockets (30+ tables) so the new Society Billiards and their basement location was going to make them a tough sell in a very competitive billiard market. It wasn't long before the place was sold to the Mammouth Corporation which already was buying up several rooms throughout the city.
Mammouth quickly changed the name to Broadway Billiards, dropped the hourly rate to their standard $3 per person per hour and fitted the room with their typical ice cream box right near the counter (as though every pool player is simply craving a popcicle from time to time). The hours of business were also changed to 24 hours 7 days a week which made the Broadway Billiards location Mecca to anyone that wanted to gamble or just get some practice in. During one lunch hour in my teens, with my heart racing at a million miles per hour, I ran my first rack of 9ball from the break during practice at Broadway Billiards.
Since then, the room raised their rates modestly as the rest of the Mammouth Corporation went under. The original Mammouth Billiards on 26th Street sold all of their billiard equipment (tables and all) for a reported $10,000. The Greenwich Village location, Le Q, had a reputation that could only be properly documented in police reports and their notorious reputation eventually got the best of their business. All of the midtown locations would lose their leases to more prosperous deals but Broadway Billiards seemed to endure until now.
It was a favorite for many players in New York City, especially many of the regulars who once frequented New York's best room of the 1990s, Chelsea Billiards. Easily, Broadway Billiards could be seen as the last tie to pool of the past. As stated, although this was not my room of choice, I'm sorry for my friends that will need to venture elsewhere and I'm sorry for what is to come for New York City pool. It's so frustrating to see serious pool reaching new heights in the Metropolitan area and yet, most rooms struggle to stay in business.
The place opened in the late 1980s in the Color Of Money boom under the name Society Billiards. The owners also had a club upstairs by the name Society Cafe and it was regarded as another upscale room in New York City. At that time, the Chelsea area was home to The Billiard Club (40+ tables), Chelsea Billiards (54 tables), Mammouth Billiards (40+ tables), Pockets (30+ tables) so the new Society Billiards and their basement location was going to make them a tough sell in a very competitive billiard market. It wasn't long before the place was sold to the Mammouth Corporation which already was buying up several rooms throughout the city.
Mammouth quickly changed the name to Broadway Billiards, dropped the hourly rate to their standard $3 per person per hour and fitted the room with their typical ice cream box right near the counter (as though every pool player is simply craving a popcicle from time to time). The hours of business were also changed to 24 hours 7 days a week which made the Broadway Billiards location Mecca to anyone that wanted to gamble or just get some practice in. During one lunch hour in my teens, with my heart racing at a million miles per hour, I ran my first rack of 9ball from the break during practice at Broadway Billiards.
Since then, the room raised their rates modestly as the rest of the Mammouth Corporation went under. The original Mammouth Billiards on 26th Street sold all of their billiard equipment (tables and all) for a reported $10,000. The Greenwich Village location, Le Q, had a reputation that could only be properly documented in police reports and their notorious reputation eventually got the best of their business. All of the midtown locations would lose their leases to more prosperous deals but Broadway Billiards seemed to endure until now.
It was a favorite for many players in New York City, especially many of the regulars who once frequented New York's best room of the 1990s, Chelsea Billiards. Easily, Broadway Billiards could be seen as the last tie to pool of the past. As stated, although this was not my room of choice, I'm sorry for my friends that will need to venture elsewhere and I'm sorry for what is to come for New York City pool. It's so frustrating to see serious pool reaching new heights in the Metropolitan area and yet, most rooms struggle to stay in business.
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