The Siasconset Casino
In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the growing summer colony of artists, actors, writers, and musicians in 'Sconset joined with seasonal property owners to provide a proper venue for the growing community's summer interests and activities. In 1892, $800 was collected to erect a casino building, and Mrs. Emily E. Rice of Detroit agreed to donate a lot on New Street for a "Hall of Amusement" with dedicated indoor and outdoor community space for social, dramatic, and sporting events. Guided by William J. Chittenden, the Siasconset Casino Association was formed in 1899.
Architect John Collins drafted plans following the association's request for "a building ... with an audience room with a floor to be laid with special reference to dancing, a stage, ante-room, dressing, reading, and smoking rooms." The no-frills, barn-like design with cupolas and open front porch was in keeping with its surroundings.
In mid-July 1900, the Casino and two tennis courts were opened with a celebratory first-season party. An entertainment on August 4 brought a wildly enthusiastic audience of 820 "who came by special train from Nantucket as well as by pleasure wagon, single team, and bicycle." In 1901 a tradition began when the Casino opened the season with a village-wide children's party featuring ice cream, lemonade, and sweets, along with games, races, and charades.
Tennis and Tournaments
Men dressed in white flannels and ladies in cumbersome skirts, middy blouses, and stockings all took part in fun-loving yet competitive tournaments for trophies, with an emphasis on challenging the Nantucket Yacht Club teams.
In 1909, two bowling alleys were added in a new building and three years later the grounds were extended to Chapel Street and a two-story porch was added to the south facade. The bowling alleys were moved across the street in 1920 and used for storage on the Coffin property.
The Casino was the summer stage for nationally recognized thespians, musicians, dancers, and singers, including, in 1913, Metropolitan Opera stars, all delighting to be away from big-city heat and doldrums, and to link up with the remote seaside community for splendid masquerades, a week-long carnival, fairs, promenades, vaudeville, auctions, raffles, rummage sales, the 'Sconset Follies, and an Annual Casino Revue.
Movies!
In July 1915, the Board of Selectmen issued the Casino a permit to show silent movies.
Talking movies came to the Casino on June 17, 1931, providing appreciative islanders much needed entertainment in the midst of the Depression. The same year, a movie set was built on the Casino grounds and several 'Sconseters were cast in the film that was provocatively called The Sinners.
The 1920s and Beyond
In 1923, David Gray and his wife donated funds and hired the New York architect and summer 'Sconset resident Frederick P. Hill to design needed structural alterations. Buttresses were placed on the outside walls to reinforce the failing frame, and doors and windows were added to the gallery and porch. Echoing the Newport Casino detail of patterned latticework in the main hall produced effective acoustics and distinctive visual appeal to the cavernous space. In memory of her husband, Mrs. Gray had the west porch enclosed to become a reception room in 1930.
Hard-working, long-suffering Louis de Barros was hired as groundskeeper in 1924 and later became the Casinos patient and loyal manager until his retirement in 1959. Beloved Marsh Chambers was the next to hold the post for twenty-nine years.
In the twenties and thirties, national big bands led by favorites Lester Lanin and Meyer Davis joined with local and visiting summer musicians, drawing an enthusiastic crowd to the Casino's semiweekly, supervised public dances, which featured grape punch and usually twice as many young women as men. Yacht Club-Casino tennis tournaments were a big draw, and elaborately themed masquerades with prizes for the best costumes were popular throughout the 1930s— the Red and White Ball; the Circus Ball; the Neptune Ball; the Black and Gold Ball; the Advertising Ball; and the Western Hemisphere Ball.
Read more about the history of the 'Sconset Casino, in an article by Amy Jenness in the Historic Nantucket
Read more about the postwar Casino.
Tennis match at the Casino, c. 1900
P9353
Helen Clark Farnum and friends
1922
Scan gift of Sam Daniel
A89-40
A digital exhibition by the Nantucket Historical Association