GERARDO JERRY CATENA 2100 COCOANUT ROAD, BOCA RATON. "Get the hell out of here and take your gang with you," Sonken said, much to Sinatra's shock, remembers Thomas Lentini in his memoir, Silk Stocking Bandits. Forbes had estimated his wealth at $300 million, but there was very little money in the will. Sonken, five feet six when he was standing straight, ran right into the gunman's path to assist his customer. By the early 70s the law was finally catching up with Lansky, but he proved a slippery character. That same year Lansky became a U.S. citizen. Im not a member of the Mafia, he said. Pumperniks owner Charles Linksman attributed Wolfies survival to its proximity to theaters and boxing ring. Lansky and Batista fled Cuba on the same day. Joe Sonken (left) was proprietor of the Gold Coast Restaurant and the Cutty Sark Lounge, which were located on A1A in Hollywood. Following their lead, other locals who supported them and their businesses also became big contributors to the citys organizations, and generally, most city leaders and residents looked the other way and didnt make a fuss over what was going on. Your film on Meyer Lansky is loosely based on . By one account, Sonken fled to South Florida in his 30s to evade a crackdown on Chicago's mob-linked establishments. ACCETTURO IS A CAPO OR lieutenant in the Lucchese crime family of New York, and a powerful force in the familys New Jersey operations, authorities say. But the police weren't done by a long shot. Jul 4, 1902, Meyer Lansky is born You might like: Timeline Authors History of Ideas Timeline English and French Literature The Kings Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David The Kings History of English Literature Timeline Kings of the Bible Barack Obama - CM Classical Era (1740s-1810s) The Kings World history timeline Kings The Kings The uproar in Miami Beach prompted a sympathetic Oakland Park mayor, Dewey Hawkins, to say that Capone was welcome to live in his city. In 1978 agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement raided Sonkens restaurant, saying they suspected him of stocking his storehouse with stolen groceries bought at cut-rate prices. The house, located on Palm Island in Biscayne Bay, was built in 1922 by St. Louis brewer Clarence M. Busch. On March 18, 1937 the Hollywood Herald said that beach area landlords were up in arms against the establishment of a trailer park on the site of Beach/Tent City. Born to a father from Russia and a Polish mother, Joe Sonken worked from the time he was 10, leaving school after eighth grade. "When he got in trouble (with the IRS), he turned everything over to his brother. Sonken's hands remained on the wheel, as if he could drive his way out. Later he became a major stockholder in Bally Manufacturing, the worlds largest maker of slot machines. But while all that gambling was taking place in Hallandale, the guys in charge kept their families safe in the adjacent and beautiful city of Hollywood. After being instrumental in creating the National Crime Syndicate, an amalgam of Italian-American Mafia and Jewish-American Mobsters, he worked his way up to its top position of chairman. Ellinger Str. Last year, Accetturo was one of 20 reputed mob figures acquitted by a federal jury in Newark on racketeering charges. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Pinterest, 3389 SHERIDAN STREET #623HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA 33021, article in the Sun-Sentinel on May 09, 2005, Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Sonken didn't hold grudges. Please log in if you don't want to post People fled. He testified in 1968 before a state crime investigation committee checking into the mob presence in his restaurant, but nothing ever came of the committees report. Nope, sorry. So if you hear that somebodys grandmother lived in a tent on the beach, she no doubt was not exactly roughing it here in Tent City. One question asked repeatedly of suspected mobsters was: "Do you know Joe Sonken?". Gold Coast attracted Bertucelli and his team like moths to flame. As it happened, J. W. Young himself was out of town at the time of the Presidents visit. When someone asked what he knew about Meyer Lansky, Sonken would say, "He orders spaghetti." Lansky moved from New York to Miami Beach in 1933 and to Hollywood in 1934. Joe Sonkens Gold Coast Restaurant had been named one of South Floridas best restaurants by the Miami News. Cant bear to buy another shark-in-a-bottle or seashell frog from a tacky tourist trap? Hollywood Historical Society, gift of Katharine LaBelle. More links between Hallandale and Hollywood are mentioned further along. He is buried at Mount Nebo Cemetery, 5505 NW Third St., in Miami Beach. "Respectfully, you understand. The 21-month trial is thought to be the longest federal criminal trial ever held. Living in Florida for over 45 years, we occasionally visited Rascal House on Collins Avenue and Pumperniks on Hallandale Beach Boulevard. After Meyer Lansky's death at age 80 from lung cancer in 1983, it was widely rumored that he was worth a staggering $400 million, and maybe as high as $600 million. These addresses are all public knowledge, by the way. Quietly, Joe Sonkens Gold Coast Restaurant became known as a place where rival mob factions could meet and get along. But you'd think I killed my mother or something the way the coppers hassled me." Long ago, underworld leaders agreed to make most of Florida a mafia Switzerland, where any mob family could operate freely (the New York-based Gambino family carved out an exception for pornography, which they controlled). Lansky had no colorful moniker such as Scarface or Bugsy. Most often he was referred to as the mobs financial genius.. Left, Tent/Beach City, 125-26. In 1946 he formed a company to distribute slot and pinball machines. Patrons have included John Gotti, boss of the Gambino Mafia family in New York and currently the most powerful mobster in the country; Joseph Todaro, head of the Magaddino family in Buffalo; and Edward Sciandra, acting boss of the Bufalino family based in Pennsylvania and New York. Scarfo not only lived in the Spanish-style house he called Casablanca South, he rewarded loyal crime-family members with weekends there. 4,646 views 0 faves 0 comments Taken on December 17, 2008 All rights reserved Additional info Viewing privacy Public Safety level Safe Content type Photo License History S Search Photo navigation < > Thumbnail navigation Z Zoom B Back to context Catena made much of his fortune in the gaming industry. He coordinated previously disjointed illegal gambling operations, creating layers of employment, legitimate and otherwise, in a farmland area that had long been depressed. That arrangement ended when Castro came to power in 1959. It opened in 1954 and closed on March 30, 2008. Stakes were high. Meals were eaten and deals were made. If anyone has more info on the Deauville Yacht Club I would love to hear about it. We cant say he actually set foot here since he arrived by special train, then walked via a gangplank from the train to the destroyer Monaghan, which took him to the Bahamas. They also opened the It Club on US1 between the port and the airport (a strip joint, now gone), and had a bookie operation in the Hollywood Yacht Club. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Despite having only an eighth-grade education, Lansky pioneered the laundering of mob money into legitimate businesses. Both photos were published in Youngs Hollywood Reporter, edited by Behymer. Each dish that came out of the kitchen was meant to be a masterpiece, and Sonken showed a knack he'd nurtured at Mother Kelly's for attracting celebrity clientele. "Get me outta here," Sonken yelled in the last moments before the car sank. Meyer Lansky was born Meier Suchowlaski in Belarus, on July 4, 1902 to a poor Polish family that faced persecution and pogroms. THE RELATIVES ARE VISITING AGAIN AND youre stumped as to where to take them. The prisoner, clenching an unlit cigar in his teeth, stretched his hands through the cell bars. However, Broward Circuit Court Judge Arthur J. Franza blasted the agents scheme, saying it sounds like a Keystone caper. The judge ordered the state to return Sonkens $4,450. Green convinced DeCrescito to introduce him to people involved in shady liquor distribution, narcotics, and gambling. Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House location was converted to an Epicure Gourmet Market, owned by Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House's parent company Jerrys Famous Deli headquartered in Studio City, California. Wolfies was a 24-hour-a-day haven for the elderly living in kitchenless beachfront rooming houses (destined to be restored as art deco boutique hotels in the 1990s). Right, Beach City by Moonlight, Atlantic Ocean at left. He was tough enough to be violent when he had to be violent, says Col. Clinton Pagano, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. Lansky spent the rest of his life in Miami Beach living with his second wife, Thelma, at the Imperial House in the 5200 block of Collins Avenue. By far, the best-known hangout for the mobsters and gangsters wasnt a casino at all but a bar and restaurant that occupied the space on the Intracoastal that is now GGs Waterfront Bar and Grill. That same year he and another man were arrested for extorting $15,000 from a Fort Lauderdale investor. In case its hard to read, it says the Club Greenacres is located 1 1/2 miles west of the Federal Highway on Hallandale Road (Follow the White Arrows), open all night.. Meyer Lansky was born in 1902 in Grodno, Russia (present day Belarus), immigrating to America as a child. His house is now up for sale. How many times had he pulled out of this spot in the last 33 years? Meyer Lansky was undoubtedly one of the most famous mobsters of all time. It opened in 1954 and closed on March 30, 2008. Former Chicago mob hitman Nicholas Calabrese has died, a source said Monday. Anyone expecting to see an Al Capone at every table and henchmen with automatic weapons standing guard at Joe Sonkens restaurant will be disappointed. And they also ran the Club Boheme and the Club Greenacres. This of course is Hallandale. He gave the boot to Frank Sinatra and his crew for being disruptive. Meyer Lansky In His Own Words Throughout the 1960s the G-men eavesdropped on the private conversations of Meyer Lansky by bugging his personal residence where he lived with his wife in. Accetturos case ended in a mistrial when a key witness suffered a heart attack, but five co-defendants were convicted. local news and culture, Matthew Pearl The committee produced nothing concrete against Sonken, but a few years later he found himself dragged into a holding cell at the Broward Sheriff's Office. After Kaufman took on the Plantation, Alo and Lansky came down here and opened several more gambling establishments including the Barn and the Colonial Inn in Hallandale. "Don't come here when you're in a hurry," Sonken told the Fort Lauderdale News (forerunner of the Sun-Sentinel) in 1954. Meyer Lansky lived in Miami Beach, but his brother Jake lived in Hollywood at 1146 Harrison Street. The joke among waiters was if he liked you, he cursed at you, and if he didn't curse at you, start looking for a job. A don like Jerry Catena will forever be listened to, because hes survived the wars., ANTHONY TUMAC ACCETTURO 5131 JACKSON ST., HOLLYWOOD. Report: 350+ Books Banned in Florida School Districts Since Last July, Uber, Lyft Drivers Strike at Florida Airports to Demand Livable Wages, Miami Dolphins Fan Guide to the 2023 NFL Draft, Shareholders Reeling in Wake of Miami SPAC-Merger Deals, Carollo Abuse-of-Power Trial Moves Forward in Wake of Jury-Tampering Claim. The next morning, the Miami Herald announced that Sonken, the intimidating icon who had presided over this landmark for decades, had drowned. March 13, 1923 marks the first presidential visit to Hollywood, a city barely two years old. Along with the sandwiches we devoured complimentary Kosher dill pickles, fresh coleslaw, sweet peppers, small sour tomatoes and delicious Cucumber salad, all served in shiny silver bowls. Joe Sonken was as much a celebrity as many of the famous people who frequented his restaurant. AL SCARFACE CAPONE 93 PALM AVE., PALM ISLAND, MIAMI BEACH. The Inn was neither colonial nor an inn. Flamingo Las Vegas. January 30, 2018 When gambling became legal in the Bahamas in the early 60s and a casino was opened at the Lucayan Beach Hotel, it was learned that several of Lanskys associates were involved. Meyer Lansky, original name Maier Suchowljansky, (born July 4, 1902 [officially assigned date by U.S. authorities], Hrodna (also spelled Grodno), Russian Empire [now in Belarus]died January 15, 1983, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.), one of the most powerful and richest of U.S. crime syndicate chiefs and bankers. Agents were in the midst of a historic undercover operation using the restaurant as a staging ground at the time the car rolled into the drink. Kaufman lived at 1321 Tyler Street. Time slowed to a crawl. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Weed shows his awareness of International Modern architecture, choosing this Modern style as best suited to the Florida tropical climate. My grandfather worked in Cleveland for the Jewish group I would enjoy discussing him with you to find out more about him and tell you what I know about him. Meyer Lansky, known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Belarusian-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. His success was such that Lansky once made an uncharacteristic but famous boast to an associate: Were bigger than U.S. Steel.. Once, when Sonken heard a reporter snooping around the restaurant asking about the mafia, the boss waved the phone receiver from behind the bar and announced loudly, "Call for Mr. Capone, telephone call on line two for Mr. Al Capone!" According to the authorities, he also conducted mob business at the house. With the spread of air conditioning and jet travel, it became easier to visit or live year-round, spurring a construction boom for which the mob was perfectly positioned. He often appeared to be sleeping in the courtroom, though prosecutors said he was faking. Harding and Behymer had been fellow lecturers on the Chautauqua circuit out of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century. In January 1947, Capone collapsed with a brain hemorrhage, followed a week later by bronchial pneumonia. Weve definitely become the headquarters for the mob.. He saw the car in the water and froze. Seven years later, Lansky died of natural causes. Johnson wasnt against gambling per se, but he hopes that the racketeers in gambling would be suppressed.. In 1970 he was sent to prison for refusing to answer questions from a New Jersey state commission about the underworld. In 1968, the same year Sonken gave one of his many English bulldogs to a state senator, the Florida Legislature convened an organized crime committee and called in Sonken. The restaurant has an attractive, ethnic ambience, with red- leather booths and chairs, red tablecloths, an autographed photo of singer Connie Francis on the wall, and attentive waiters and musicians who stroll about the dining room. Poker games and parties were common at the Capone estate. If so, Provenzano was one of the worlds best-paid truckers, with a penchant for violence, profanity, silk shirts and pinky rings. But on this day in May 1986, his 8-year-old ocean-blue Oldsmobile barreled backward, crashing through the dock and plunging into the Intracoastal. Seventy years ago today, February 14, 1948, a display ad for the erstwhile Colonial Inn in Hallandale, Florida, ran in the Ft. Lauderdale News. Sonken turned on a dime from wry to angry. He entered the meat industry before losing a bundle in the Great Depression and then overseeing a lounge at the Devonshire Hotel in the city's North Loop. Starting with the Plantation, according to various sources, by 1936 the former tomato packing barn, called the Plantation, was operated by Julian Potatoes Kaufman with bookmaking, roulette, crap tables, etc. Houses in this Modern style can be found all over Hollywood, both single-story and two or more stories. 68 reviews. Meyer Lansky lost most of his money trying to build a hotel casino in CubaWhen Fidel replaced Batista it was all gone. Neighbors described Accetturo as a nice guy. Even at 78 years old, Joe Sonken was usually the first into the Gold Coast Restaurant in the morning and the last to leave. In keeping with the Streamline concept of the Modern style is the flat roof with metal railing, suggesting the deck of an ocean liner. He often sat with Mr. Lansky and they would make small talk. Enter your email address to follow this blog an, Where to find Joan Mickelson, author, in2019, HOLLYWOODS EARLY SMALL HOTELS FOUND CHIEFLY IN PARKSIDE AND ROYAL POINCIANA: IN SUPPORT OF PRESERVATIONEFFORTS, Correcting Fake News about Hollywood,Florida, YOUR BLOGGER IS HAVING A BOOK SIGNING DEC.3, Listen to my WLRN interview; also read What Makes Hollywood FLspecial, Follow FLORIDA'S HOLLYWOOD: HISTORY and PEOPLE on WordPress.com. The heat turned up on Sonken when a 1957 article by columnist Jack Anderson claimed the restaurateur didn't just serve steaks to the mafia, he was mafia. On paper, he was worth almost nothing. According to an interesting website called AmericanMafia and other sources, Alo was a longtime friend of Meyer Lansky. Provenzano was identified by authorities as a captain in the Genovese crime family, and served 4 1/2 years in prison in the 1960s after his conviction for extortion of a trucking company executive. Around 4 a.m., as bartenders Ernie Baticki and Joe Galanti exited, two men with black stockings over their heads stuck guns into the bartenders' backs and said, "Get back inside!" Read Part 2: "How the Mob's Favorite Restaurateur Escaped Indictment and Saved a South Florida School.". Some alleged Sonken was especially close to Chicago's underworld, including Al Capone. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news directly in your email inbox. He has lived there year- round for at least 10 years. On the day of the St. Valentines Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, Capone invited more than 100 people to his Palm Island home for a party. When people heard about what had happened to Sonken's car, many including some restaurant staff figured someone had messed with it. They also opened the It Club on US 1 between the port and the airport (a strip joint, now gone), and had a bookie operation in the Hollywood Yacht Club (is this the more elegantly-named Deauville?). From nearby appeared a Gold Coast regular, a guy who had spent so much time there that a booth could have been named after him. It is located at 612 Hibiscus Dr Hallandale, Florida. In 1978 Accetturo and three cohorts pleaded guilty to extorting $29,000 from a Miami Beach hotelman, which led to his four months at Eglin. MEYER LANSKY WAS THE antithesis of Al Capone, but no less dominant a figure in the annals of organized crime. He would go in under an assumed identity and become a regular. Once the car with the robbers and hostages began to move, police resumed their positions and opened fire, shooting at the tires. Three of these four Michigan-born brothers became full-fledged, successful gambling operators in the first half of the 1900s, their reach spanning five states: Michigan, Ohio, Florida, California and Nevada. Ralph Morse, LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images T. J.. cache 4h 2m But it didn't work. The rest of Hollywood beach before 1926 also belonged to J. W. Young who was developing house lots for sale. PERHAPS THE MOST VICIOUS mob boss in the country, this diminutive don (he hates being called Little Nicky) lived part time in his two-story, four- bedroom, five-bath waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale from 1985 until his arrest in New Jersey in January 1987 on charges of extortion. Art Mooney, a well-known bandleader and singer who performed at Gold Coast, recorded a bouncy song inspired by Sonken called "I Never Had a Worry in the World.". Meanwhile, Capone was busy spending more than $100,000 in improvements to his new home. Those interested, it said, should apply to Halland Land Company, 5 Water Street NY for land prices. called Lt. Neil Robar of the Hollywood Police, ordering his officers to stand down. In 1928 Lansky was charged in connection with the shooting of a gangster, but after his recovery the victim refused to testify. Maybe it was the Gold Coast regular who was at the scene in the parking lot. "I do, Judge," the mobster answered. Jake kept a low profile compared to his brother, but was known to be at his side and also a money-counter both in Florida and later in the familys Las Vegas operations. He was important in the Chicago underworld, running one of the ritziest casinos in the city. Another topic causing some uproar had to do with the site of J. W. Youngs Tent City, or Beach City, as it was also called. Rockaway recently spoke to HistoryNet about his latest film and its exploration in morality. So your age is between 70s and 90s. Rascal House had all the elements of a Jewish delicatessen, meaning a large selection of deli soups and sandwiches (typically listed on an oversized laminated menu), a bowl of cold pickles and a basket of assorted rolls for every table. (Two houses down, 543 Palm Drive, was the home of Joseph LaRatro, now dead, who authorities say was a capo in the Lucchese La Cosa Nostra crime family.). Originally, the Epicure Market was to be contained within a new condominium building on the location, but a downturn in the real estate market in the late 2000s (decade) put an end to the condominium project. Six years earlier, Green had dropped out of undercover work. He was known simply as "boss." NICODEMO LITTLE NICKY SCARFO 3100 NE 47TH ST., FORT LAUDERDALE. 11.3 miles from Stadtkirche St. Marien. He was born Maier Suchowjansky in the Soviet Union, and arrived in the United States at age 9, where his family settled in New Yorks teeming immigrant slums. Meyer Lansky In His Own Words Throughout the 1960s the G-men eavesdropped on the private conversations of Meyer Lansky by bugging his personal residence where he lived with his wife in Hallandale, FL and the hotel rooms in which he stayed when in New York City according to FBI files. And at the first table upon entering the restaurant, you will often see Joe Sonken himself. Note the stairs to the deck, the straight horizontal and vertical lines, and the use of pink stucco. He returns home to Marseilles, Illinois, then with a friend goes over to Indianapolis, where he begins to work for J. W. Young. THE HANGOUT JOE SONKENS GOLD COAST RESTAURANT 606 N. OCEAN DR., HOLLYWOOD. Young got the idea from a similar arrangement in California, and had them erected as he was building the Beach Hotel, since there were so many people clamoring for housing in Hollywood in 1925-1926. "It's a stupid job," he lamented at the time. They grabbed $5,080.83 from the register. There, he lived out the last years of his life suffering from peresis, a disease of the brain caused by syphilis. He died of lung cancer in 1983 at age 80, leaving behind a widow and three children. On July 30, 1975, he arranged to meet Hoffa at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in suburban Detroit for a peace talk. The result is 2019's "Meyer," for which Lang wrote the story and text (illustrations by Andrea Mutti and Shawn Martinbrough), a fictionalized account of Lansky's last days hiding out in a Miami . "I knew the parking lot would be secure.". 63ms. He was tough, protective of his customers and their privacy, and a master at publicity. The settlement was named for Luther Halland, brother-in-law of James Edmundson Ingraham, a Flagler associate. Matthew Pearl, all rights reserved. There he holds court with visitors regardless of their professions or business connections with his English bulldog, Bozo, sitting at his feet. he said of Sage, Bagel & Deli in Hallandale. "Take ten." Nor is there any indication of a movie sound stage in the many plans, plats, and descriptions of buildings erected by Young or his Hollywood Land & Water Company. He called Meyer Lansky, New York's preeminent Jewish gangster. But the presence of the larger-than-life mobsters the knights errant of modern life always stood out. I hope I have replied to everyone. After reaching North Miami Beach, the thieves released the hostages and traveled on foot until they were picked up by an accomplice. Catenas arrests date back to 1923, for alleged activities ranging from bribing a juror to suspicion of murder. It wasn't until 1914 that 12-year old Meyer Lansky and his family migrated to The Lower East Side of Manhattan, where their first known address was a third floor . He also established jukebox distribution outlets and a chain of illegal and profitable gambling casinos. At one time, he was said to be worth an estimated $20 million (equivalent to almost $200 million today) or more. Gold Coast had never before been robbed. 5 - 7, 91781 Weissenburg in Bayern, Bavaria, Germany. In 1935, after the Fair, it and other Worlds Fair houses were carried by barge to the Indiana Dunes, where they are being restored, as National Landmarks. (There was also one on Hallandale Beach Boulevard, Hallandale, Florida). The biggest concentration of all is in Broward, says Lt. Dave Green from the organized-crime unit of the Broward Sheriffs Office. If there were, you may be sure that Id write about it. meyer lansky house hallandale. During that time, Meyer Lansky attended school at P.S. This 1940s postcard indicates that their complaints fell on deaf ears. Sporting a large neon sign in the front, the building was designed in the 1950s. In all there were over 100 camps, each with electricity, running water, and maid service. "Their members are doing business, even in a social or a relaxed setting," Bertucelli explained to the Chicago Tribune. In contrast to Mafia dons who are constantly accompanied by bodyguards, Lansky was often seen walking his little dog alone along busy Collins Avenue. He served five years. The ad doesnt explain why one might want to be there all night, but the reason was well-known in Hallandale, Hollywood, Miami, and so forth. Everything we did back then is legal now, Jimmy Blue Eyes was said to lament soon afterwards. He died last December at age 71 of a heart attack at the federal prison in Lompoc, Calif. His second wife, Marie-Paule Provenzano, has put the Hallandale house up for sale. To the Italians, being a Mafioso was a thing of honor. And he was smart enough to get into money-making businesses. He recalls that Mr. Lansky walked his pet dog outside Wolfie's and once inside he sat at the counter near the back of the deli reading a newspaper. I don't bother nobody. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma damaged both the original Rascal House sign and the building. Capone had his Palm Island fortress; Lansky lived his last years in a secluded apartment on the second floor of the 14-story, turquoise and white Imperial House condominium. Before last years marathon trial in New Jersey, Accetturo was one of the main mob figures in South Florida, according to Lt. Dave Green of the Broward Sheriffs Office. Sonken displayed Chicago memorabilia street signs, pennants, and jerseys around the restaurant.
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