The Balinese Room

In the smooth swinging era of the ‘40s and ‘50s, the Balinese Room (formerly located at 2107 Seawall Blvd.) was legendary as the Gulf Coast’s premier nightspot. Operated by Sam and Rose Maceo, the swanky club was situated at the end of a 75-foot pier over the Gulf. Many famous performers appeared on its celebrated stage – Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Sophie Tucker, the Marx brothers and Houston oilmen like Diamond Jim Walker and Glenn McCarthy were regulars.
The Texas Rangers tried repeatedly to bust the gambling at the Balinese, but by the time they’d made their way through the six heavy glass doors and down the long length of the pier (dubbed “Ranger Run”), all the gaming tables had been converted to backgammon, the slot machines folded into the wall like Murphy beds, and the chips stashed in the kitchen (where one suitcase-full was once inadvertently roasted in the oven). The band was even known to strike up “The Eyes of Texas” in “honor” of the Rangers; when all patrons rose to express their Texan patriotism, it further slowed the lawmakers’ progress.
The Rangers finally had their way, shutting the Balinese down in 1957, along with all the other gambling establishments in Galveston.

The fabled structure was destroyed during Hurricane Ike, September 2008.

Houston’s own ZZ Top wrote a song about it. Here are some of the lyrics:

Deep in the South of Texas
not so long ago,
there on a crowded island
in the Gulf of Mexico.
It didn’t take too much money,
man, but it sure was nice.
You could dance all night if you felt all right,
drinking whiskey and throwing dice.
And everybody knows
it was hard to leave.
And everybody knows
(it was down at the Balinese)