for all the billiard historians, where and when was THE place to be in the past 100 years?
my very uneducated guess, 50's and 60's chi town
my very uneducated guess, 50's and 60's chi town
greatest pool room city in the history of the usa? nyc? Chi?
- Thread starter smashmouth
- Start date
HI BaCK in the Seventys i used to go to New York City Usa and i went to a room called Mcgirs forgot the address but it was in Manhattan
In this room they had Nine ball tables 3 cushion tables and also they had s Snooker Table 12 ft long by 6 ft wide.
The table was so safe that you put the cue ball and the object ball on the rail and they would bet you that you were unable to pocket the ball in the corner porket
Thes best players played there Mosconi Lassiter also when i was there i got Luther Lassiter to sign his book and still have the book
i live in ny. there about 12 to fifteen rooms, not counting the few that have closed, within a couple of miles of each other. steinway, racks, olympia and billiards club are within walking distance from each other in astoria. flushing is loaded with rooms, thers a few in brooklyn and a bunch in manhattan. not too bad. staten island i have no clue, but therews gotta be some. jersey, cooneticut have plenty. the tristaste out here is decent. all time? times change, but there were a few hundred rooms in nyc in the early 1900s. not sure that can be beat
Check out this description of Foley's new room (in Chicago) in 1873.....
Very very impressive. Its hard to imagine anyone doing this today...
On the opening day of the hall, it was open from 10am until 4pm for ladies only (and their escorts). It was estimated that over 1000 ladies attended.
At 4pm, the public was allowed in for the "opening ceremonies". Two local sports writers for the Chicago Tribune and the [Sun] Times were given the honor of playing the first game in the new hall. The Tribune writer beat the Times writer.
Very very impressive. Its hard to imagine anyone doing this today...
On the opening day of the hall, it was open from 10am until 4pm for ladies only (and their escorts). It was estimated that over 1000 ladies attended.
At 4pm, the public was allowed in for the "opening ceremonies". Two local sports writers for the Chicago Tribune and the [Sun] Times were given the honor of playing the first game in the new hall. The Tribune writer beat the Times writer.
In general, I'd say it would be near impossible to pick ONE. Brunswick was from the Midwest. Every state college during that time had pool rooms full of GC I's, anywhere from ten to twenty in each school. Bensingers, and the great E. Coast rooms would be hard to beat. I remember in St. Paul MN in the sixties/early there was a pool room on the bottom floor of a ten story office building, must of had fifty tables, and old hunchback men who brushed tables and an island counter in the middle of the room to ck out ball sets. I was impressed with the Congress in Miami back in the sixties, and the two pool rooms on Market Street in San Francisco, and Romines in Milwaukee, and I've heard rumors about Jean Balukus and her NY pool room.
Bens Billiards front st yakima wa. long gone. rack Ben
Its a large pic so here's the link...
http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/images/50_Klings.jpg
Happy new year
The Rack in Detroit...
Cochran's, on Market st. in San Francisco
If you want to give any credence, to two guys who have probably been in every pool room in the country...Grady Matthews & Ronnie Allen both said the same thing...For a well maintained, high class operation, 24 HOUR ACTION, and every size pool, snooker and billiard table available, there was no place in the world (in modern times) quite like Cochran's, from the 50's to the 70's..Sadly, its gone now too.
I played there regularly in those days, and I certainly agree with their findings...Nothing came close, especially for consistent high dollar, daily action..The Rack in Detroit was a freak, because it had millionaire 'go-offs' hanging out in there regularly...But it was also, like Bensinger's in Chicago, a rat infested dump !...And, as Freddy the Beard often lamented (many times) Bensingers, and all the big fancy room's in New York City, were populated, for the most part, by 'no gamble' nit's, who wouldn't play anyone without having the mortal nuts.
Sure, there were some good, even great players, who came out of there. But most of them got smart, and soon left for greener pastures...Many, like Jersey Red, wound up either at Cochran's, or the LeCue (another nice room) in Houston.
If you want to give any credence, to two guys who have probably been in every pool room in the country...Grady Matthews & Ronnie Allen both said the same thing...For a well maintained, high class operation, 24 HOUR ACTION, and every size pool, snooker and billiard table available, there was no place in the world (in modern times) quite like Cochran's, from the 50's to the 70's..Sadly, its gone now too.
I played there regularly in those days, and I certainly agree with their findings...Nothing came close, especially for consistent high dollar, daily action..The Rack in Detroit was a freak, because it had millionaire 'go-offs' hanging out in there regularly...But it was also, like Bensinger's in Chicago, a rat infested dump !...And, as Freddy the Beard often lamented (many times) Bensingers, and all the big fancy room's in New York City, were populated, for the most part, by 'no gamble' nit's, who wouldn't play anyone without having the mortal nuts.
Sure, there were some good, even great players, who came out of there. But most of them got smart, and soon left for greener pastures...Many, like Jersey Red, wound up either at Cochran's, or the LeCue (another nice room) in Houston.
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Wow! Do you have any information on the history of the room after opening? How long did it last in such a state as described? Why did it close? What became of the furnishings and tables? What is in that location today?
Check out this description of Foley's new room (in Chicago) in 1873.....
Very very impressive. Its hard to imagine anyone doing this today...
On the opening day of the hall, it was open from 10am until 4pm for ladies only (and their escorts). It was estimated that over 1000 ladies attended.
At 4pm, the public was allowed in for the "opening ceremonies". Two local sports writers for the Chicago Tribune and the [Sun] Times were given the honor of playing the first game in the new hall. The Tribune writer beat the Times writer.
Thanks for the story. According to this link http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/1870-1880.html it was located at 153 Dearborn. Using google maps I went to street level and it looks like the building is still there, now a McDonalds. You can see all the windows the article references.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...2!3m1!1s0x880e2cbaa36a2f37:0x6c385cca0a647181
Hmmm. That building you are showing (with the McDonalds) is at the corner of N. Dearborn and W. Randolph. The articles say the entrance to Foley's was on Clark St., which seems to be another block to the west. Also, the windows in the building with McDonalds don't look to be 18' high. But that building does look like it could be the correct age. Maybe Mr. Bond will chime in with some additional information.
Edit -- also, I see that the 153 Dearborn address is in a list of rooms existing in 1871, whereas the room of interest here opened in 1873.
I just found another thread from 2012 with related information about Tom Foley and his pool room: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=275082
Mr.Bond or anyone. The tables appear to be sitting on something other than the floor. What are the tables sitting on and what was the flooring. I suspect for stability?
Thanks in advance.
Perhaps the floor is carpeted except not under the tables. That way they could replace the carpet without moving the tables. But that's just a wild guess, I can't really tell from the picture.
[Note -- this refers to the Kansas City room, not the Chicago room.]