[handwritten notation: 12/27/65]
In a spectacular midnight fire Christmas night, the New Walled Lake Casino was totally destroyed by a fire, the cause of which is under investigation.
The fire was discovered shortly after a teen-age dance had ended and was fought by fire fighting units from seven surrounding areas; Northville, Farmington, Walled Lake, Novi, Wixom, West Bloomfield and Commerce.
Although the casino itself could not be saved, firemen were able to confine the fire to the dancehall; an adjoining restaurant and a nearby house were not severely damaged.
An estimate of the value or amount of insurance on the building was not immediately available.
The Walled Lake Casino had outlived an era; the time of the big bands, many of which got their start there, starting with Red Nichols and his Five Pennies. Others appearing there, including Louie Armstrong, the Dorsey Brothers, Vaughn Monroe, Guy Lombardo, to mention only a few of the entertainers who went on to fame or had already achieved it when they came.
It was one of the big places to come, both for bands and dancers, in the 40's and 50's, when the music from Walled Lake was beamed to the nation's listeners via radio and thousands came to swing and sway on the 120 by 140 foot polished maple dance floor.
The mecca for dancers was originally built in 1919 by the Taylor family, headed by Judd Taylor and sons, Ernest and Jacob.
In 1922 it was sold to Louis Tolettene, who, in 1929, tore down the old building and built the New Walled Lake Casino on the site at Novi and 13 Mile Road. Under their management, the establishment flourished; first there were local bands, then famous bands and those soon to be famous came and played for an entire season which ran from May to September.
Then came World War I [sic] and the Casino was closed, remaining so until 1949 when it reopened under the management of Albert and Elmer Tolettene, nephews of the owner, then deceased.
And now the place really hit the big time; almost every big name in the band business played there at one time or another, with an attendence record of 4,004 dancers for one night set by Ralph Flanagan when he played there in the middle '50's.
That was just before the '60s when the death of the big band era, long predicted, became a reality.
The owner, Mrs. Leona Tolettene sold the place to O.J. Kraemer of 8410 Golfside, Union Lake. It had been closed by the Tolettenes in 1960 when it was no longer profitable to hire live music.
The new owner renovated the dance hall and tried to bring the band era back; then hired local bands in an attempt to break even on the operation. But the crowds didn't come, so Kraemer tired turning the place into a rock and roll spot for the teen-agers.
It was then leased to Irving Meklir who owns the Purple Pussy Kat, re-named the Club A-Go-Go, and small local combos played while crowds in the hundreds instead of the thousands danced the Frug, the Watusi, the Swim, and the Monkey.
And now the Walled Lake Casino of fond memory is no more; the song is ended, but the melody lingers on -- at least in the memory of those who used to sway to the big band beat.
Newspaper article; source unidentified.