SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Called the ‘Jewel of the City,’ this summer the Canfield Casino is celebrating its 150th anniversary.In honor of the milestone, the Saratoga Springs History Museum. Canfield Casino and Congress Park is a 17-acre (6.9 ha) site in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States.It was formerly the site of the Congress Hotel (also called Congress Hall), a large resort hotel, and the Congress Spring Bottling Plant, as well as Canfield Casino, which together brought Saratoga Springs international fame as a health spa and gambling site. The Canfield Casino Saratoga Springs, New York Established 1870 ©1994 THE CAT'S MEOW.

On Wednesday morning Mare and I walked through just part of the Canfield Casino with Charlie Kuenzel and learned so many new things we had never known before. We were only there for an hour and a half and wish we could have spent the entire day. There is so much history in the Canfield Casino that so many people do not know about… us included! Now we know just a tid-bit more, we are so lucky to have a friend like Charlie who is willing to share his knowledge with us. I wanted to share little bits about the Canfield Casino over the next few weeks. The history museum is such an amazing spot that so many people, visitors and locals alike, have never even heard of!

One of the first things Charlie pointed out to us was the age of the bricks on the outside of the building and where they came from. The original part of the building, the main “square” when looking at it from East Congress Street, was built with “Saratoga Brick”. Since this entire area used to be a lake the soil was a great clay resource and bricks could be made right here to be used on the new buildings. This clay ended up being much softer than expected and could be ruined if pressure washed today. The parts added by Canfield, the dining room and ballroom, are made with “Mechanicville Brick”. Another locally sourced resource this brick is harder and held up better.

Many of the buildings in Saratoga Springs were first built with wood frames but after a spell of horrible fires the buildings were rebuilt using bricks. If you are ever out walking around downtown with a friend and they ask “When was this building built?” if it is brick you are probably safe to say “Around 1871” since that is when most of the buildings were rebuilt or built for the first time with brick.

I should point out that the Canfield Casino was first called the Saratoga Clubhouse and was built by John Morrissey in 1870. He had a prime location on the corner of Putnam and East Congress. Anyone who was headed to the Lake or the Race Track after their morning meal had to pass by his casino. Morrissey passed away in 1878 in the Adelphi Hotel and by 1890 Canfield took over the operation, taking it to a whole new level of greatness.

Morrissey’s Clubhouse had awnings covering the windows for two purposes. One was so the men inside did not know what time it was, keeping them there longer. The other was so the people outside did not know what was going on inside. The Three floors of the Clubhouse served different purposes. The first was the entry and the small games, there was also an office. The second floor was the high stakes, only those with the proper assets were allowed on this floor. There were rooms for private card games as well as the large High Stakes Room where many of the original furnishings and artifacts can be seen today. The third floor has always been in question but it is said the rooms were used for those addicted to gambling. They would go up to the small rooms and rest then come back down to gamble again. That way they would not have to leave the casino. This idea, of keeping the men at the casino is just one of the many things I will share with you that Las Vegas later adopts.

Tune in for the next section of The Canfield Casino, Saratoga’s Unknown Gem where I will be talking about the furnishings and details in the architecture!

During this time when many of us have found comfort in our homes, summer weather is encouraging us to venture outside and explore areas around us. I am thrilled to announce that the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is able to once again offer our Summer Sunday Strolls. The tours provide an opportunity to learn more about the architecture and history of different areas throughout Saratoga Springs while remaining safe and socially distant. Today at 10:30 a.m., I kick-off the series of tours with a stroll of North Broadway. I will share about the grand residences and those who lived there. If you are reading this after my tour started, don’t worry there are tours each week of different areas of the city through Labor Day!

Next Sunday, June 28, Charlie Kuenzel will lead a tour of Congress Park, a National Historic Landmark. Charlie, a former teacher, local tour guide, and current president of Saratoga Springs History Museum, will share a wealth of information on the tour. However, this year the tour will have greater focus on the Canfield Casino as it celebrates its 150^th anniversary. When asked about the significance of the casino, Charlie responded, “It is one of the last structures in the city that helps to tell the story of our city’s greatness in the 1800’s when we were the number one tourist destination in America.”

John Morrissey, a former heavyweight-boxing champion and New York State senator, built the beautiful Italianate style casino in 1870 and operated it until his untimely death on May 1, 1878. Morrissey came to Saratoga Springs in 1861 and opened a gambling house on Matilda Street, today Woodlawn Avenue. By 1863, Morrissey realized that well run games of chance in the proper environment would attract the rich and famous, so he along with partners Leonard Jerome, William Travers, and John Hunter founded the Saratoga Race Course. Seeing immediate success with thoroughbred horse racing, he made plans to build a palatial gaming location. By 1869, he purchased land in what is known today as Congress Park and in the summer of 1870, the “Club House” opened.

Canfield Casino Saratoga Springs

“Morrissey spared no expense, the premier furniture design company, Herter Brothers of New York City, was hired to design the furnishings,” shared Charlie. The company was known for designing furniture for prominent business leaders in New York City. “The same year they worked on the Canfield Casino, they also did The White House. Today, the Canfield Casino is only one of three public spaces designed by the Herter Company to still be in existence,” noted Charlie.

Canfield Casino Saratoga Springs Ny Drawing

Morrissey offered wealthy men membership to this elite club for $250 a season. During the first summer 200 men took advantage of this offer. The clever use of the name “Club House” helped to disguise the gambling that took place and kept the illegal operation open for business for that entire first season. “Morrissey never allowed local men to be members since he never wanted anyone from the village to be upset with money lost at his tables. Morrissey barred women, but received little pushback – including from women, because gambling was not socially acceptable,” said Charlie. “The Club House was not open on Sundays as he wanted to stay on the good side of the local churches. In a genius move, he further cemented his good standing in the community by taking a portion of each season’s profits to make donations to every church and non-profit organization in the village,” he continued. These strategies allowed Morrissey to be a very “popular” person in town and assured his operation would have little interference in the future.

Upon the passing of Morrissey, two lesser partners Albert Spencer and Charles Reed operated the gambling house at a less than stellar level of performance. In 1893, they added a new partner, Richard Canfield.

Canfield had just returned from a trip to England and became interested in the Club House when he visited Saratoga Springs that summer. The following year, Canfield bought out Spencer and Reed for the handsome sum of $250,000, approximately $7 million today. He immediately began to make changes to the operation and renamed it the Casino. He required men to dress in formal attire to enter the building and payed all money won by patrons immediately from a safe