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The St. Louis Fronton Revisited Responding to the article regarding the St. Louis frontón in issue No. 16 of the Basque Studies Program Newsletter, Professor Russell M. Magnaghi of Northern Michigan University’s Department of History submitted the following: “The Cuban Jai Alai Company was formed in St. Louis for the purpose of constructing the first frontón in the United States. The officials of the company were: president, Ricardo Galbis, president of the National Bank of Cuba; secretary, L.Q.C. Lamar, United States Consul to Cuba—all of Havana; second vice president, B. Zarasquata; and vice secretary, Charles T. Ledden—both of St. Louis. “The side of the frontón was the northeast corner of De Baliviere Avenue and Kingsbury Boulevard close to the main entrance to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, popularly know as the St. Louis World’s Fair. The building measured 250 by 162 feet. The front was about 105 feet high, tapering to 70 feet in the rear. The interior of the frontón was steel construction, while the exterior was composed of red brick, stone, terracotta and iron. The cost of the building was placed at $250,000 and it had a seating capacity of 6200 persons. Quoting the January 31,1904 issue of the St. Louis Daily Globe–Democrat: ‘An interior court, 210 feet long and 36 feet wide, is being provided for the game of pelota, the national game of Spain, and walls, 16 feet high, of Missouri granite, are being built at either end of the court. . . It is the first attempt to introduce the game of pelota in the American or English-speaking countries. . .’ “It was hoped that the game would become popular in St. Louis, and then spread to Chicago, New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. The frontón opened on Sunday, May 15, 1904, to a large crowd, including ‘many society ladies.’ However, a squad of police led by Chief Kelly was also on hand to make sure that there was no gambling. Some forty players were brought from Spain and paid between $500 to $1000 per month. The St. Louis Republican of May 16, 1904, provided a description of the sport: ‘The game is a mixture of baseball, tennis and handball. It is played in a court 210 feet long by 36 feet wide. Three sides of the court are enclosed [sic] and the ball is bounced from the end walls. The balls are made of rubber, tightly wound with cord. ‘The place of the tennis racquet and baseball bat is taken by a instrument called a cesta. It looks like a curved scoop, about 3 feet long, and is made of rattan. The cesta is strapped on the hand of the player, and the ball can be hurled with terrific force with it.’ “Although jai alai was advertised in the newspapers as ‘Most Interesting, Scientific, Exciting,’ ‘The Greatest Ball Game in the World,’ and ‘Players Secured Direct from Spain,’ it did not become popular. The St. Louis frontón remained in operation for two months, closing in July. In subsequent years it was used as a ballroom, for auto shows, opera performances, and as an ice and roller skating rink. In October 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt addressed a large crowd in the building. This unique structure finally fell to the wrecker’s ball in the late 1960s.” |
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