John C. Gordon
Two Views of the Manila Pool Hall in San Jose, CA, c. 1931
Silver prints (2)
Each 8 x 10 inches
Further images
A wonderful pair of photographs showing the lively goings-on at Leo Escalante’s Manila Pool Hall in San Jose, California, in 1931. Proprietor Leopoldo Escalante Sr. (seen in the first photograph...
A wonderful pair of photographs showing the lively goings-on at Leo Escalante’s Manila Pool Hall in San Jose, California, in 1931.
Proprietor Leopoldo Escalante Sr. (seen in the first photograph dressed in a suit and tie) opened the hall in the 1920s, catering to the influx of young Filipino men who came to the Santa Clara Valley at that time. It was first located on the northwest corner of Fourth and Jackson Streets, and then later located in an historic Chinatown building that still stands on the corner of Sixth and Jackson Streets. (These photographs show the original Fourth Street location).
San Jose historian Robert V. Ragsac writes:
“Originally the Commonwealth Pool Hall, Leo Escalante’s Manila Pool Hall was one of the most popular hangouts for the First Wave Pinoys. Customers enjoyed the hall’s various amenities, which included billiard tables with overhead scoring chips, ping pong tables, pinball machines, gambling and card tables, and a snack bar….As a natural gathering place, the pool hall served as an information sharing center. Patrons would discuss the next crops to be harvested, what farms and ranches were hiring, news from their home provinces in the Philippines, and upcoming social events. They would also reminisce about their hometown and families, and exchange stories and insights about their experiences in America.”
The hall also served as a gathering place to address the serious needs and issues of the community. In 1930, after four Filipino men were attacked in nearby Watsonville, Escalante organized a mass meeting at the Hall, attended by 100 or so community members, in order to quell fears and halt the spread of any further violence.
Though uncredited here, the photograph is attributed elsewhere to commercial photographer John C. Gordon and dated 1931.
Proprietor Leopoldo Escalante Sr. (seen in the first photograph dressed in a suit and tie) opened the hall in the 1920s, catering to the influx of young Filipino men who came to the Santa Clara Valley at that time. It was first located on the northwest corner of Fourth and Jackson Streets, and then later located in an historic Chinatown building that still stands on the corner of Sixth and Jackson Streets. (These photographs show the original Fourth Street location).
San Jose historian Robert V. Ragsac writes:
“Originally the Commonwealth Pool Hall, Leo Escalante’s Manila Pool Hall was one of the most popular hangouts for the First Wave Pinoys. Customers enjoyed the hall’s various amenities, which included billiard tables with overhead scoring chips, ping pong tables, pinball machines, gambling and card tables, and a snack bar….As a natural gathering place, the pool hall served as an information sharing center. Patrons would discuss the next crops to be harvested, what farms and ranches were hiring, news from their home provinces in the Philippines, and upcoming social events. They would also reminisce about their hometown and families, and exchange stories and insights about their experiences in America.”
The hall also served as a gathering place to address the serious needs and issues of the community. In 1930, after four Filipino men were attacked in nearby Watsonville, Escalante organized a mass meeting at the Hall, attended by 100 or so community members, in order to quell fears and halt the spread of any further violence.
Though uncredited here, the photograph is attributed elsewhere to commercial photographer John C. Gordon and dated 1931.