Canfield Casino Congress Park Saratoga Springs Ny
- Canfield Casino Congress Park Saratoga Springs Ny Obituaries
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The Canfield Casino sits as the centerpiece of the historic Congress Park in downtown Saratoga Springs and is the perfect location for the couple looking for a unique location that showcases everything Saratoga has to offer. Available year-round with seating for up to 240 guests, the Canfield Casino is a stunning Saratoga wedding venue.
Morrisey’s Club House, operating as the Congress Park Casino under the ownership of Richard Canfield, closed in 1907. In the absence of any interested buyers, the Casino property was purchased in 1911 by the village. With fewer visitors during the summer season, the Congress Hall Hotel, located near the Casino, closed. Canfield put the Casino up for sale and in 1911, the village purchased it and the plans were in place for Congress Park. In 1915, the Historical Society had offices in the Casino and today is home to the Saratoga Springs History Museum. The casino did not open for another season and in 1911, Canfield sold the building and a large portion of land to the City of Saratoga Springs. “We are very fortunate that the City of Saratoga Springs is a good steward of the building that tells such an important part of our community’s history.
Canfield Casino Congress Park Saratoga Springs Ny Obituaries
Saratoga Springs NY 12866
Theater Notes
Canfield Casino Congress Park Saratoga Springs Ny Menu
Morrissey first came to Saratoga Springs in 1861 and operated a small gaming house on Matilda Street (Woodlawn Avenue). While he was only 30 years old, he was already an accomplished athlete and politicatian representing New York in Congress. He was also a founding member of the Saratoga Race Course. He knew that there was more money to be made and starting in 1867 he invested $190,000.00 to build an elegant casino. Opening in 1870, his Saratoga Club House was a draw for wealthy and prominent visitor’s world wide. Morrissry did not use the name Casino. Morrissey operated the Clubhouse during the summers until his untimely death in 1878 at the age of 47.
Owner ship passed to Albert Spencer and Charles Reed. In 1883 Richard Canfield took a partnership in the Saratoga Clubhouse and bought it outright the following year for $250,000. Canfield invested an estimated $800,000 in enhancing the building and the grounds of Congress Park to bring them up to the standards of the top European establishments. In 1902-3 he added a sumptuous dining room to the back of the Clubhouse fitting it with stained glass windows and an early form of air conditioning. He ordered marble statuary for the Italian gardens in the northeast corner of Congress Park. The elegant atmosphere made the cream of society feel welcome to bet their money on the Clubhouses’s many games of chance. Canfield was recognized as the King of the Gamblers; Saratoga Springs was seen as the American Monte Carlo.
However, anti-gambling sentiments increased in the first decade of the 20th Century. Canfield was forced to close his New York City casino, paying a stiff fine. In Saratoga Springs, he kept the Clubhouse going until 1907. He sold the building to the village for less than he had paid for it in 1911.
Capacity: 500