In the spring of 1988 my roommate was a bartender at a pool hall in Anchorage. She said she was going to take me over to this new place she got a job at as a bartender. We walked in the back door and there was still quite a bit of construction left to be done. No carpet and no tables yet. She said the Griffin’s owned this place which was to be the Anchorage Billiard Palace. At that time I only knew of Mark Griffin as the Alaska Rainier “Pounder” champion. By the time it opened everything was first class. All the tables were antiques, two 6x12 golf tables and a billiard table. I felt right a home and as it turns out I was. It was featured in a magazine article (Billiards Digest I think) as one of the best rooms in the country. A few years later the upstairs was remodeled into a 50s night club called “Hot Rods” for many years it was one of the best clubs in Anchorage. The Palace was Mark’s baby and Hot Rods was his wife Sue’s baby.
Mark held state championships and Rur Rondy championships every year generating quite a bit of interest. People came from all over the state and even attracted charcters such as Gary Abood. Over the years Mark brought up many pro players to give exhibitions. Grady, Mike Sigel, Jimmy Rempe, Kim Davenport, Robin Bell, Johnny Everlino come to mind. Every year Mark and Sue would arrange for a block of rooms at the Riv for the BCA tournament for many of the players from Anchorage, many of whom without their help would never have been able make the trip. Over the years many of the staff and the patrons became close friends. I have spent many holidays at Mark and Sue’s house. I have watched the children of the staff grow to adulthood and have children of their own. About three years ago Mark and Sue sold the place before Mark purchased the BCA Pool Leagues. The new owner only had it for a short time and was killed in a motorcycle accident. Since then the property has been owned by his estate and kept it running with the current management. For whatever reason Tuesday night the club upstairs (now called Latitude 61) was closed and 21 people lost their jobs. The Palace was open yesterday but no one seems to know for how long. One thing is evident it’s days are numbered.
Mark held state championships and Rur Rondy championships every year generating quite a bit of interest. People came from all over the state and even attracted charcters such as Gary Abood. Over the years Mark brought up many pro players to give exhibitions. Grady, Mike Sigel, Jimmy Rempe, Kim Davenport, Robin Bell, Johnny Everlino come to mind. Every year Mark and Sue would arrange for a block of rooms at the Riv for the BCA tournament for many of the players from Anchorage, many of whom without their help would never have been able make the trip. Over the years many of the staff and the patrons became close friends. I have spent many holidays at Mark and Sue’s house. I have watched the children of the staff grow to adulthood and have children of their own. About three years ago Mark and Sue sold the place before Mark purchased the BCA Pool Leagues. The new owner only had it for a short time and was killed in a motorcycle accident. Since then the property has been owned by his estate and kept it running with the current management. For whatever reason Tuesday night the club upstairs (now called Latitude 61) was closed and 21 people lost their jobs. The Palace was open yesterday but no one seems to know for how long. One thing is evident it’s days are numbered.
