20 FALL2010.cite THIS ISNO CRAB SHACK CRAB S Sam Maceo’s Modern House Modern Maceo’s Sam his olderbrother barber. In1910hemovedwith New Orleansto betrainedasa a sawmill.Hewaslatersentto Louisiana, whereheworkedin family in1901toLeesville, Sicily, andemigrated withhis am MaceowasborninPalermo, , Rosario operations. In 1926 they opened the 500-seat component of the Beach Gang’s bootlegging industrious Maceo brothers had become an integral acquainted. Bythefi Gang, with whom he and his brother soon became Murdoch’s Pier, the hangout of Ollie Quinn’s Beach both worked as barbers. Rose’s chair was on “Rose” Maceo (1887–1954), to Galveston where they

rst years of , the HOUSTON, HAS A REMARKABLE HERITAGE OF MODERN MODERN OF HERITAGE REMARKABLE A HAS HOUSTON, LIKE GALVESTON, HOWEVER, “MODERN.” AS IT OF WAS THAT GALVESTON BOOK HIS IN ARCHITECTURE VICTORIAN ITS TO HOMAGE WELL-KNOWN BARNSTONE’S HOWARD TO ACCORDING “WAS,” THAT CITY TENSE—THE PAST THE IN GALVESTON OF THINK OFTEN WE Jen, builtontop ofanoldwoodenpierjutting 600 operations toa former Chineserestaurant,the Sui 1939, theMaceo brothersmovedtheirmain casino intheUnitedStates.After itwasshutdownin to havebeenthefi style byGalvestonarchitectR. Rapp,itwasreported Designed intheromanticSpanish colonialrevival Hollywood Dinner Club on 61st Street and Avenue S. (1966). WE RARELY THINK THINK RARELY WE (1966). rst air-conditioned nightcluband THE THE

!""#$%&'&(#)*+#,&-(% THE LOW-SLUNG AND SOPHISTICATED MACEO HOUSE RECALLS ITS OWN EPOCH 100 YEARS LATER IN AN EQUALLY EQUALLY AN IN LATER MANNER. YEARS 100 PERSUASIVE EPOCH OWN ITS RECALLS HOUSE CENTURY, MACEO SOPHISTICATED MID-NINETEENTH AND THE IN LOW-SLUNG GALVESTON THE OF PROSPERITY THE ECHOES ERECT (1858) THE AS VILLA JUST ASHTON PROUD TREASURES. AND ARCHITECTURAL GREATEST GALVESTON’S OF ONE IS LAWN HOUSE CEDAR THIS EXCLUSIVE COMMUNITY. THE IN 1950S EARLY THE IN FAMILY HIS BOSS FOR BUILT CRIME (1894–1951) ORGANIZED MACEO SALVATORE“SAM” SICILIAN-AMERICAN GALVESTON’S THAT HOUSE EXAMPLES THE IS COMPELLING MOST ARCHITECTURE ITS OF MODERN ONE OF GENIUS. OF LEVEL THE TO RISES SOMETIMES THAT ARCHITECTURE Garrett Eckbo. pattern designed by walls andsidewalk paving showing reeded glass RIGHT: TOP: fi wall withcopper light showing brickcourtyard xtures next to thegate.

Street sideelevation Insideentrycourt By Ben Koush Koush Ben By 21 FALL2010.cite 22 FALL2010.cite THE OF THE WEST-FACING, WEDGE-SHAPED BLOCK AT 43 CEDAR LAWN CIRCLE. CIRCLE. LAWN CEDAR 43 AT BLOCK WEDGE-SHAPED WEST-FACING, THE OF several Maceoassociates livedinCedarPark, making from therestof thegriddedcity. By thelate1940s, Place (1888).Itscurvingstreets clearlyseparatedit examples ofWestmoreland Place(1888)andPortland “private place”followingthewell-known St.Louis Lawn wasdevelopedbyW. L.Moody in1926asa wedge-shaped blockat43Cedar LawnCircle.Cedar properties thatcomprisedmost ofthewest-facing, Cedar Lawn. design inGalveston’s mostdesirableresidentialarea, Maceo proceededquicklyandcommissionedanew with Sinatra’s recommendationtogowithWilliams, in 1951)andadaughter, Sedgie(sixin1951).Armed twin sons,Sam“Jay-R”andEdward“Eddie”(eight Island 20yearshisjunior. With Edna,Maceohad an attractivedancerandmovieactressfromRhode married hissecondwife,Edna“Sedgie”Sedgwick, 1941 hedivorcedhisfi must havebeenthinkingaboutbuildingahouse.In of theBuccaneerHotelpastseveralyears,he he hadbeenlivingintheluxuriouspenthousesuite for itsdesignandaskedaboutarchitect.Although in itsrocky, desertsite.Maceoexpressedadmiration house madeofnaturalmaterialsthatfi client initiallyrequested,andtheresultwasastriking Sinatra togomoderninsteadofGeorgian,ashis Williams, Williams &Williams. Williams persuaded Williams ofthenewlyformedarchitecturalfi was thefi When itwascompletedin1947,Sinatra’s house new contemporaryhouseinPalmSprings,California. the heightofhispower, visitedFrankSinatraathis Galveston. one passedtheMaceo-Dickinsonlinewhenentering the Maceos’centralroleinthismixwasquipthat seem toinvolvethemselvesdirectly. Anindication of rampant prostitution,withwhichtheMaceosdidnot brothers’ large-scalegamblingoperations,aswell of itstoleranceregardingbootleggingandtheMaceo the nickname“FreeStateofGalveston”because and PhilHarris,amongothers. Lombardo, RayNoble,PeggyLee,JimmyDorsey, ,BobHope,GeorgeBurns,Guy nationally recognizedentertainersduringtheseyears: were fi Street between25thand29thStreets.TheMaceos Galveston’s red light district, which was on Post Offi Lounge upstairs.Itwasconvenientlylocatednear 23rd andMarketStreets,withtheswankyStudio 2008.) DowntowntheyrantheTurf AthleticClubon 1963; itwaslaterdestroyedduringHurricaneIkein Hurricane Carlaandreconstructedtoanewdesignin (In l961theBalineseRoomwasheavilydamagedby the restaurant,whichherenamedBalineseRoom. architect HarryNordstromofNewYork toremodel interior designerVirgil QuadrifromChicagoand 21st Street.In1941SamMaceobroughtMIT-trained feet outintotheGulfofMexicoatSeawalland Sometime inthelate1940s,SamMaceo,thenat From the 1920s through the 1950s, the city acquired The MaceoHousewasbuiltonfourcontiguous rst-rate operatorsandbroughtinmany MACEO HOUSE MACEO rst majorprojectdesignedbyE.Stewart rst wife,JessicaMcBride,and WAS BUILT ON ON BUILT WAS t effortlessly rm ce FOUR CONTIGUOUS PROPERTIES CONTIGUOUS FOUR THAT COMPRISED MOST MOST COMPRISED THAT old slidingchainlock. fl with red-painted concrete Hall leadingto service areas doors to parkingarea and Electrically operated gate OPPOSITE BELOW RIGHT: OPPOSITE TOP: room inthepoolcabana CENTER RIGHT: CENTER LEFT: THIS PAGE TOP: with copper lightfi brick gate pierstopped leading to servce areas. and plywood panelwall BELOW LEFT: the livingroom. chimney stack thatanchors LPs inprojection room. thermostat. oor. BELOW RIGHT: BELOW LEFT: Peepholeand Dividersfor

Original Monumental Curving glass OPPOSITE xtures. Shower

circular, concrete-paveddrivingareawasaccessedvia area forMaceo’s elderlyparents.Anextensive, It seemstohavebeenoriginallyintendedasaliving service andwasonlyaccessiblefromthepoolarea. independent guestwingprojectedoffthenorthern locking devices,someofwhicharestillinplace.An electric alarmsystemandhadpeepholeselaborate study. Exteriordoorswereequippedwithaprimitive would havehadaclearviewofitfromhisprivate from asmall,secluded,west-facingcourtyard;Maceo shaped swimmingpool.Themainentrywasaccessed Between thesewingslayalushlyplanted,amoeba- aluminum awning windowssethighinthewalls. A ventilation was providedbyverystoutlyframed house wasair-conditioned, butsupplementalnatural removed andfi next tothewindowwalls.Inlater yearstheywere the exteriorwasmainlybyhinged doorsinstalled California toTexas untilthemid-1950s. Accessto sliding glassdoorsdidnotmake theirwayfrom stone slabbenchesandabrickplantingbeddefi A masonryfi rest ofthehouse,whichwasframedconventionally. supported bylarge,structuraltimbers,unlikethe Maceo’s chauffer. drive wasafreestandingdwellingunitinhabitedby an unusual,dynamiccharacter. Inthecenterof panels ofplywoodandreededglass,whichgaveit curve ofthedrivewayandwaslinedwithalternating of themainentry. Theservicewingfollowedthe imposing, electricallypoweredgatestothenorth glass areaswereoriginallyfi the restwereplastered,asceilings.Mostlarge walls werecladwiththesameredwoodsiding,and and handmadepinkMexicanbrick.Someinterior originally stained(theyhavesincebeenpaintedover) clad withwide,verticalredwoodplanksthatwere kitchen, bird’s-eye maple.Theexteriorwallswere cabinetry madeofAmericanblackwalnutand,inthe the houseweretile,cork,orcarpet. extended outtothepooldeck.Thefl faced thepool.Flagstonepaverscoveredfl Alicia, andIke.)Large,fi a perennialsourceofleaksduringhurricanesCarla, the chimneystackpiercedroof,unfortunately, was the centerofspace.(Thedramaticskylightwhere T company, Maceo&Co.,tobuildthehouse. and wentsofarastousehisownconstruction for theinteriors.Hewassomethingofaperfectionist British-American designerT. H.Robsjohn-Gibbings number ofprojects).Maceoreportedlybroughtin of Williams, whohadworked withEckboona gardens aroundthehouse(probablyatsuggestion Garrett EckboofLosAngelestodesignavant-garde and hirednationallyfamouslandscapearchitect there. Maceowasadiscerningarchitecturalpatron made sensethatSamMaceowouldwanttorelocate it asmuchaMaceoenclaveMoodyenclave,so Nearly alltheroomshadextensivebuilt-in The livingroom,conceivedasapavilion,was replace andchimneywithinterlocking off aneast-facingcentrallivingarea. There weretwomajorwingscoming with deepeavesoveraspreadingplan. had aseriesoflow, slopedgableroofs he 6,000-square-foot,one-storyhouse lled inwithsections ofsolidwalls.The xed plateglasswindows xed, sinceprefabricated oors intherestof oor and ned 23 FALL2010.cite 24 FALL2010.cite M the plantslistedondrawingsarenottobefound. was actuallyinstalledisnolongerknownandmanyof location ofthepergola.Howmuchlandscaping the 1980s,recalledrustedironpipesinapproximate have beenbuilt.RossNovelli,whoownedthehousein water cascadingdownatthefrontwalkdoesnotseemto of steppedsteelsaucerssuspendedonpipeswith of differentsmallerplants.Akineticwatersculpture sycamores, pecans,apricottrees,magnolias,anddozens with liveoaks,palmettos,plumtrees,pearfi orange trees.Therestofthegardenwastobeplanted facing aputtinggreensurroundedbygrapefruitand pipe andredwoodpergolacoveredwithwhitewisteria, the property, heplannedforageometric,fi area andthelawnextendingtoeast.Atfartipof longer known.)Eckbo’s landscapingfocusedon the pool cyclone fence in placeof the brick; the reason for this is no (Along thesoutheastquadrant,however, therewas awire that gaveittheappearanceofaprotectedcompound. tall brickwallpunctuatedwithsolidredwoodgatedoors been replacedwithfi pair ofthemstillexistintheguestwing,butresthave an outdoorcooking areaoffthediningroom facing the pool attheJack Tar Hotel inGalveston.Novellienclosed Paddock PoolCo. ofLosAngeles,whoalsobuilt the pool, andhaditrefurbishedby theoriginalcontractor, Maceo’s nephew)then boughtthehouse,re-excavated Novelli (aprominentGalveston realestatemanandRose green. Evanslatersoldthehouse toRobertL.Moody. had itfi houseguest nearlydrownedinthepoolandsoonafter to Novelli,Evansbecamealarmedwhenawayward franchises forGalveston,boughtthehouse.According Evans, aprominentgrocerwhohadthePigglyWiggly tennis shoeswerefoundinthepaint.”Thenextyear, Jack in theswimmingpool,alongwithotheritems.Tracks of sockets tornout,anddeskdrawerswerefoundfl thereafter. AnAugust18articleinthe winter before.Theymovedoutofthehouseshortly movie theaterchain,whomshehadmetinDallasthe World War IIheroandpresidentofParamountStudios’ long. OnAugust15,1954,shemarriedHenryG.Plitt,a into thehouselaterthatyear, butdidnotlivetherevery brother’s house.SedgieMaceoandherchildrenmoved Hopkins.” RoseMaceooversawthecompletionofhis in CedarLawnhadbeenstartedwhenhewenttoJohns “Construction oftheirelaborate,sprawlingnewhome 1961, “Paintwassmearedonthedoorsandfl According toanarticleinthe sell andinJuly1961theemptyhousewasvandalized. $100,000.) Unfortunately, theMaceohousedidnot same sizeandcompletedintheyearforabout Houston designedbyPhilipJohnsonwasroughlythe worth $300,000.”(Incomparison,theMenilHousein for-sale list.Theresidenceat43CedarLawnisreported his unexpecteddeathin1951,wasrecentlyputonthe Maceo home,builtbythenightclubownershortlybefore describing theweddingadded,“Thefabulous,walled Galveston DailyNews The one-acrepropertywassurroundedbyasix-foot- lled withdirtand convertedintoaputting The front-pageobituaryinthe related surgeryonhisesophagus. due tocomplicationsfromacancer- Johns HopkinsHospitalinBaltimore aceo diedonApril16,1951,atage57in xed glassblockpanels. thatappearedthenextdaynoted, Galveston News Galveston News ve-sided steel oors, electric from July8, oating g trees, house isshaded) (The footprint ofthe California, Berkeley. Archives, University of Environmental Design plan, courtesy ofthe Eckbo's landscaping BELOW: Garrett FOUND. BE TO NOT ARE DRAWINGS THE ON LISTED PLANTS THE OF MANY AND KNOWN LONGER NO IS INSTALLED ACTUALLY THE OF MUCH HOW LANDSCAPING could notcontinuemuchlongerinthefaceofsuch becoming quiteclearthatGalveston’s illegaloperations and bythetimeSamMaceodiedin1951,itwas gone. In1931thestateofNevadalegalizedgambling, the BalineseRoom,andStudioLoungeareall freewheeling history. TheHollywoodDinnerClub, architectural iconofanimportanterainGalveston’s University. devastated thehospital,andherelocatedtoVanderbilt Nealon. NealonlivedinthehouseuntilHurricaneIke Medical Branch,Galveston,surgeonDr. William Moore, whointurnsoldittoUniversityofTexas pool. After17years,NovellisoldthehousetoBart are nowcomingdowninGalveston,butitisthefi swing ballofprogressandrenewal.Thebuildings States havelongsincebeenknockeddownbythe century buildingswhichinmostcitiestheUnited decline…has leftuswithatreasuryofnineteenth- gives ittherespect itdeserves. becomes itsnext owneriscognizantofthisfact and history forGalveston. Thehopeisthatwhoever compelling, anddeliciouslysubversive, alternative Maceo house,nowforsale,presents uswithanequally nineteenth-century cityscapecomes tolife.”The enchanted journeythroughhistory asabustling com website,“willtakeyouand yourfamilyonan costumed performersthat,accordingtotheGalveston. presented “DickensontheStrand,”afestivalwith since 1974theGalvestonHistoricalSocietyhas nineteenth century. Forexample,everyDecember progress.” Today Galvestonlivesandbreathesinthe by ownerstoavoidtaxationwhichdestroysthem,not department’s condemnationsandvoluntaryrazing introduction to architectural heritageprovedtobeacatalyst.Inthe itself. Barnstone’s tough-lovetributetoitsdecaying after the1900storm,citycreatedanewimagefor existential crisisbytheearly1960s.However, asithad exaggeration tosaythatGalvestonwassufferingan effectively wipedthecityclean.Itisnotmuchofan reportedly shutdown47clubsandbrothels gambling andprostitutionorganizations.Theraids Safety conductedaseriesofraidsontheweakened General andtheheadofDepartmentPublic The MaceoHouseisperhapsthelastremaining WAS The GalvestonThatWas, In 1957theTexas Attorney Galveston” wasdoomed. of vice,the“FreeState support ofitstwopatriarchs died in1954,andwithoutthe competition. RoseMaceo RIGHT: LEFT: swimming pool. room pavilion facing the construction oftheliving wood post-and-beam courtyard. clear view to theentry private study witha Glass walls and

Sam Maceo's hewrote:“Its re 25 FALL2010.cite