Where are the 10 footers?

L

longhair

Boyd Porter-Reynolds
Silver Member
There was a recent thread in the strait pool section about the switch from 10' tables to 9' tables. There must have been many 10' tables made, and some of them are still in use in public rooms. Do you know where they are?

I know of one beautiful Brunswick six leg 10 footer in Howard's Pool Room in Tuscola, IL. It's in pretty good shape structurally, but the rubber is dead and the cloth is slow. It's quite an experience. There was a converted snooker table in The Delux in Champaign, IL until about 10 years ago. I sometimes wonder what happened to it.
 
Interesting question, Boyd. You're right. So many were in use, what could have happened to them? I don't suppose there were many in use after WWII. I imagine some of them were cut down to 9-footers. Some of them probably were trashed. I've only seen a few in more modern-day poolrooms. Lee Simon used to have one at Buffalo Billiards in Cotati, CA. I think he got rid of it though. I believe Tony Annigoni used to have one at his home for practice. It must have made the 9' game relatively simple.

Doc
 
gulfportdoc said:
Interesting question, Boyd. You're right. So many were in use, what could have happened to them? I don't suppose there were many in use after WWII. I imagine some of them were cut down to 9-footers. Some of them probably were trashed. I've only seen a few in more modern-day poolrooms. Lee Simon used to have one at Buffalo Billiards in Cotati, CA. I think he got rid of it though. I believe Tony Annigoni used to have one at his home for practice. It must have made the 9' game relatively simple.

Doc
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Cut them down? Yikes! I've heard of that, but I imagine that the amount of work required is similar to the work required to build a new table. What a crime to cut up a big table like that.
 
longhair said:
There was a recent thread in the strait pool section about the switch from 10' tables to 9' tables. There must have been many 10' tables made, and some of them are still in use in public rooms. Do you know where they are?

I know of one beautiful Brunswick six leg 10 footer in Howard's Pool Room in Tuscola, IL. It's in pretty good shape structurally, but the rubber is dead and the cloth is slow. It's quite an experience. There was a converted snooker table in The Delux in Champaign, IL until about 10 years ago. I sometimes wonder what happened to it.
Click to expand...


I know of two, one is in KC, MO at Raytown Recreation they call her Big Bertha and she will get you. Nice family run place they also have a very nice three cushion table and some very strong players. They keep Bertha in tip top shape al well.

The other one I found in Indianapolis, Ind, at a place called Executive Billiards. I have only played there one time so I don't know how nice or not it is but, I had a good time and found some friendly one pocket action within five seconds.

Hope this helps in your search.

Jamison
 
The sad story that i can tell is probably typical of what happens to these tables. About 15 years ago I went into a tiny pool hall in similarly tiny cotton farming town. This place had 4 8 footers in HORRIBLE condition (scotch tape on the playing surfaces and such). It was totally uninspiring until I looked directly to my right upon entering, and there she was, a Brunswick Kling snooker table. She was sick but not dead. New rubber and cloth would have made her a jaw-dropper. My grandfather and I ran a pool hall together back then and needed a snooker table, so we found out who owned the place and chased him down. This guy simply refused to sell the table. He said that he was going to fix her up for his house (he was well off from other businesses besides the rat-hole pool room).

Long story short; he calls me about ten years later and tells me if I still want the Kling to come and get it....for FREE!! When I got there (30 miles in about 20 minutes!) I really thought I was going to be sick. The Kling never got fixed or moved and the roof had fallen in on her about two years earlier.

I told him there was nothing that I could do with the table at that point of decomposition. He cut her up with a chainsaw. My buddy who went with me to load her up almost started crying.

The sight of that freakin' Kling in that dirty little pool room is seared into my brain. Now if I am ever in a little town I try to find out from the locals if there is still a pool room. These table don't just turn to dust.

DRawls
 
JamisonNeu said:
I know of two, one is in KC, MO at Raytown Recreation they call her Big Bertha and she will get you. Nice family run place they also have a very nice three cushion table and some very strong players. They keep Bertha in tip top shape al well.

The other one I found in Indianapolis, Ind, at a place called Executive Billiards. I have only played there one time so I don't know how nice or not it is but, I had a good time and found some friendly one pocket action within five seconds.

Hope this helps in your search.

Jamison
Click to expand...

Jamison,

I've been to Executive several times and have played on the 10 footer. I think it's actually a converted snooker table. It's fairly nice if I remember correctly...simonis and tight pockets. I know a lot of the regulars there like to play one hole on it.
 
After the BCA Enjoypool.com event in Las Vegas last May, my brother and I drove to Denver (he lives there) and while I was there, we went to a local pool hall that had a 10 footer. It was a great hall. It probably had more than 25 8 footers, 10 9 footers, and 1 10 footer. I can't remember the name of the place, but it wasn't too far from where he lives. He lives in Lakewood.
 
gulfportdoc said:
Tony Annigoni used to have one at his home for practice. It must have made the 9' game relatively simple.

Doc
Click to expand...

He still has it, It's in storage Tony had the pockets made to 4 1/4 inch
If I remember correctly the table use to belong to Dorothy Wise....
 
The place I play APA for is called Dave's Goodtime Billiards - in West Peoria IL. They have a nice 10 footer, and actually have a snooker tourney coming up to be played on her. I've never played on it, but I've seen guys playing (buncha different games, and practicing) on it. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime....
 
There is a beautiful 10' table completely restored and in perfect playing condition in the Viking Cue Factory Showroom http://www.vikingcue.com/pages/about/showroomhours.html

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics available at this time but I highly recommend that you see the table for yourself if you ever get to the Madison, WI area.

I have had the pleasure of playing or should I say climbing on the table several times. She's a real beauty.

I heard Larry Nevel ran several racks on the table.
 
trustyrusty said:
The place I play APA for is called Dave's Goodtime Billiards - in West Peoria IL. They have a nice 10 footer, and actually have a snooker tourney coming up to be played on her. I've never played on it, but I've seen guys playing (buncha different games, and practicing) on it. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime....
Click to expand...
I've been to Dave's! they have a 10 footer? A snooker table, I take it, not a pool table?
 
MikeJanis said:
There is a beautiful 10' table completely restored and in perfect playing condition in the Viking Cue Factory Showroom http://www.vikingcue.com/pages/about/showroomhours.html

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics available at this time but I highly recommend that you see the table for yourself if you ever get to the Madison, WI area.

I have had the pleasure of playing or should I say climbing on the table several times. She's a real beauty.

I heard Larry Nevel ran several racks on the table.
Click to expand...
I think I drove by there once on the way to Middleton, does that make sense? I didn't know they had a showroom. I will definitely stop there next time I make it that far north.
 
longhair said:
I've been to Dave's! they have a 10 footer? A snooker table, I take it, not a pool table?
Click to expand...

To get back to your orig post, you were asking
about 10 foot POOL tables, right?

First off, back in the Golden Era (1900s - late 1930s)
there were 10 ft Carom tables all over the country,
and 10 ft Snooker in much smaller quanties, because Snooker
was not nearly as popular as Billiards.

10 foot Pool tables were only common in the most prosperous rooms in
big cities in the North and East<NYC, Phila, etc>, tho there were
many in Chicago, Detroit, and even Cleveland. You could also find them
in places like KC, Denver, and LA. But they were the exception

In those days there were thousands of pool rooms in America. Most
people played on 4 x 8s

Where are they now?

I would guess most are scattered around in private homes.
IIUC pool table factories and dealers would take the old tables
in on trade. Some were re-worked, some wern't.

There was a great push in the 50s and 60s to replace what we call
antiques with 'modern' tables<GC, Aniv, etc> I recall a story from
someone who had worked for a dealer in the 60s - the 'old' tables
had little value, they used to bring them back behind the warehouse
and burn the frames and cabinents<shudder>

There never was much of a market for 10 footers,
millionairs in mansions, and bums in warehouses was the phrase
retailers used. too big too heavy.

IMHO most were desrtroyed because they just wern't worth the effort

I was surprised to hear about the ones that are in rooms today.
I wouldn't think you could find more than a couple dozen
10 foot pool tables in public rooms today.

Dale<who at one time owned 7 5x10s>
 
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pdcue said:
To get back to your orig post, you were asking
about 10 foot POOL tables, right?

First off, back in the Golden Era (1900s - late 1930s)
there were 10 ft Carom tables all over the country,
and 10 ft Snooker in much smaller quanties, because Snooker
was not nearly as popular as Billiards.

10 foot Pool tables were only common in the most prosperous rooms in
big cities in the North and East<NYC, Phila, etc>, tho there were
many in Chicago, Detroit, and even Cleveland. You could also find them
inplaces like KC, Denver, and LA. But they were the exception

In those days there were thousands of pool rooms in America. Most
people played on 4 x 8s

Where are they now?

I would guess most are scattered around in private homes.
IIUC pool table factories and dealers would take the old tables
in on trade. Some were re-worked, some wern't.

There was a great push in the 50s and 60s to replace what we call
antiques with 'modern' tables<GC, Aniv, etc> I recall a story from
someone who had worked for a dealer in the 60s - the 'old' tables
had little value, they used to bring them back behind the warehouse
and burn the frames and cabinents<shudder>

There never was much of a market for 10 footers,
millionairs in mansions, and bums in warehouses was the phrase
retailers used. too big too heavy.

IMHO most were desrtroyed because they just wern't worth the effort

Dale<who at one time owned 6 5x10s>
Click to expand...
Yes, I was asking about POOL tables, not snooker or carom tables. Your story about trade-ins being burned makes me want to cry. I know that many antiques (not just pool tables) were discarded during the the 50's when modern was good and anything old was a little shameful.

So far, most of the 10 footers ID'd here are in the midwest. Surely there are survivors in the northeast as well. Anyone?
 
Don't know about the northeast, but there are quite a few 10' snooker tables here in the NW. Don't remember ever seeing a 10' pool table.
 
CJ Wileys place in East Dallas has the only ten foot pool table in all of North Texas. Man, that things a beast.

I saw Joyner and Wiley go at it a few years back on that table, pretty cool stuff.
 
There's one at Antique Billiards in Colorado Springs. Don't go there real often so I've never seen anyone ever using it.
 
i play in corner pockets in largo fl. they have a converted 5x10 billiard table there....a real nice room ....clean and well maintained......
 
the room i learned to play in was in jersey city (hudson hights) Fagara`s on palisade ave.....5x10 billiard , 5/10 pocket billiard, and 3--- 4.5x9`s...small ,but many good players( circa..1950`s)
 
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