![]() ![]() In 1925 a raid found that Riley's had "nearly 100 tables, a large orchestra and thirty negro waiters." In 1931 Riley's burned and was sold in 1932 to "Doc" Farone who rebuilt it, and renovated it in art deco style between 19. "Matty" Dunn, a noted New York nightclub owner. It was originally opened in 1886 by James H. Riley's was located on the south shore of Lake Lonely. The Brook Club should not be confused with the Meadowbrook (see below) near Saratoga Lake which was sometimes later called The Brook. ![]() In 1925 Evans bought Rothstein's share of the club. Nathaniel Evensky), a Rothstein associate who also worked with him on the World Series fix. The Brook was managed by Nat Evans (or Evens, b. Although not a "lake house"-The Brook Club was the former "Bonnie Brook" estate of George Saportas on Church Street on the west side of Saratoga Springs-this became the prototype of the later operations in the city and elsewhere. Rothstein is better known for fixing the 1919 World Series in the so-called Black Sox Scandal. The first carpet joint in Saratoga Springs was The Brook Club, opened by gambler Arnold Rothstein in 1921. Both men later had the charges dismissed. County Democratic chairman and former Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Arthur Leonard was indicted for conspiracy and bribery. In 1952 Saratoga County Republican Chairman James Leary was indicted for perjury as a result of a gambling investigation. Off-duty police often worked security at the clubs, and police were frequently called to accompany transfers of money from the clubs to the bank. Īlthough illegal the clubs received considerable support from local police and politicians. They featured entertainers such as Bing Crosby, Desi Arnaz, Jimmy Durante, Claudette Colbert, and Sophie Tucker. The clubs were open mostly in the summer from June until the close of the month-long Saratoga Race Meeting around the end of August. "Doc" Farone, later convicted of "operation of three gambling houses in Saratoga Springs - (1) Riley's Lake House, (2) The Brook and (3) Smith's Interlaken.Īlthough defendant was not the record holder of title to any of the three houses, he nevertheless held a beneficial interest in and controlled all of them" The mobsters usually kept their involvement second- or third-hand, operating through local associates. And the roadside inns around its outskirts were ideal places to make stops." Įnterprising criminals, sensing an opportunity, quickly opened so-called carpet joints, which combined gambling, illegal liquor, fine dining and entertainment. "Bootleggers shipping booze from Canada passed through the city. Saratoga Springs soon became a center for bootlegging between Canada and Albany. Constitution went into effect prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. In 1920 the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. However, in 1907 Saratoga Springs banned gambling in the city and the casino was closed. The clubhouse was later bought by Richard Canfield and was expanded to today's Canfield Casino. In 1866 he opened the Saratoga Clubhouse downtown, offering high-stakes gambling for the town's fashionable visitors. In the mid-1800s John Morrissey opened the Saratoga Race Course in 1863. Moon's Lake House, the reputed site of the invention of the potato chip is the most well known, but there were Myers Lake House, Avery's Lake House, and Crum's Place and the White Sulphur Spring Hotel at the south end of the lake. Many advertised "Fish and Game Dinners", and featured fish caught in Saratoga Lake and cooked immediately. They offered fine dining and top quality entertainment along with illegal liquor during prohibition and illegal gambling.Īlthough there were many speakeasies in Saratoga Springs during this period, six were well known as "lake houses": The Arrowhead Inn, Riley's Lake House, The Piping Rock Club, Newman's Lake House,The Meadow Brook (earlier Mayfair), and Smith's Interlaken.ĭuring the 1800s establishments known as "lake houses" surrounded Saratoga Lake, offering fine dining in a country atmosphere a short excursion out of town. The Saratoga lake houses were a group of nightclubs operating in the vicinity of Lake Lonely on the east side of Saratoga Springs, New York from the 1920s until the early 1950s. ![]()
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