Oak Park Church to Sell Iconic Billiards Tables

The 90-year-old Brunswick billiards tables weigh more than 2,800 pounds and can sell for as high as $15,000 when fully restored, according to professional billiards player Deno Andrews. (Courtesy of Karen McMillin) The 90-year-old Brunswick billiards tables weigh more than 2,800 pounds and can sell for as high as $15,000 when fully restored, according to professional billiards player Deno Andrews. (Courtesy of Karen McMillin)

Former professional billiards player Deno Andrews first learned to sink shots inside a smoky pool hall in Oak Park. As a teenager during the 1980s, the scenes he took in at Oak Park Billiards were reminiscent of sets from Paul Newman movies: exposed brick walls, stone floors, chrome spectator chairs and enough smoke to make the ceiling disappear.

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

“It was always very dark with just enough light to light the tables,” Andrews recalls. “It was a very deep building so you felt like you were walking into a tunnel of billiards tables.”

When Oak Park Billiards suddenly closed 10 years ago, the 32 vintage Brunswick pool tables Andrews remembers so fondly remained in the 8,500 square-foot building.

It then sat vacant for a decade before going up for sale earlier this year. Andrews tried to put in a bid for the space–he wanted to maintain the facility as a pool hall–but wasn’t able to afford the asking price of $575,000. Instead, the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, which operates out of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed church in the neighborhood, purchased the building in August in an effort to expand their services. They plan to renovate the facility and create classrooms, staff offices and a community center that will seat 100 people.

“When the opportunity to buy Oak Park Billiards came up, our leadership jumped, made an offer and the congregation enthusiastically signed on,” said Rev. Alan Taylor of UTUUC in a press release. “We’re especially grateful for the location and the timing. Despite space constraints, our congregation is growing and so are our programs. Finding the room to accommodate this growth has been part of our planning for the past several years.”

As part of the deal, the building was sold with all of the old billiards tables inside it, along with other equipment and memorabilia. This weekend, the church is selling the items to clear out space and raise money for renovations.

Among the hundreds of dusty items left over from the pool hall’s heyday are cues, balls, racks, light fixtures, vintage furniture, statues, arts, books, DVDs, signs and posters.

“It looks like the owners just left one day and never came back,” said Karen Mcmillan, a UTUUC member who is managing the sale. “It still has the look and smell of an old pool hall. It’s amazing.”

When Oak Park Billiards suddenly closed 10 years ago, all of the equipment was left inside. Many of the regulars who had left their cues there had to call the owners to retrieve them. (Courtesy of Karen Mcmillin)When Oak Park Billiards suddenly closed 10 years ago, all of the equipment was left inside. Many of the regulars who had left their cues there had to call the owners to retrieve them. (Courtesy of Karen Mcmillin)

For Andrews, who collects antique billiard artifacts, the vintage Brunswick pool tables are the highlight of the sale. The tables date back to the 1920s, when Brunswick was the leading brand for such equipment. Weighing in at 2,800 pounds, the massive and highly ornate tables range in price depending on their quality: $500 for those with smoke or water damage; $2,500 for those that need less restoration.

The sale has already attracted Oak Park residents interested in owning a piece of local history, as well as regional collectors, or “table flippers” as Andrews calls them, looking to restore them. Most of the tables, when refurbished, can sell for $15,000, according to Andrews.

“They are gorgeous and they have these great facades, but the way they come apart and how they were constructed is just so genius,” said Andrews. “It takes less than an hour to take it apart. The simplicity is incredible.”

Andrews looks back fondly on the days when he would bring in a permission slip from his parents that allowed him to play pool at Oak Park Billiards as a teenager. He remembers the business as being family friendly but also as a place where pros would bet thousands of dollars on games.

“It was very peaceful and respectful and everyone knew one another,” said Andrews. “Walking by those tables now feels like walking back in time.”

The sale takes place on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Oak Park Billiards, 1019 South Boulevard in Oak Park

Follow Reuben Unrau on Twitter: @reubenunrau


Related Stories

Oak Park Collections Reveal ‘Hidden Hemingway’

July 14: A new book combs through the local archives to document the life of an American literary lion, Ernest Hemingway.


Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors:

View all sponsors

Neighborhood: