There’s a story behind Steve Breckheimer’s 100-year-old vintage H.J. Sullivan Company pool table, but it’s not just about old-world craftsmanship and intricate inlays and carvings sculpted in oak. It’s about friendship and honoring family tradition.
“From the time I was seven until I left for college, I played pool down in our basement in Rochester, New York. I wanted that to continue. So when I decided a few years ago that I wanted to build an addition to our house that would include a garage, I also added a den and office that I could use as a poolroom,” says Breckheimer.
Steve began his search for a billiards table by doing what one normally does—looking online and visiting stores. Eventually he mentioned his quest to longtime friend Neil Richter, who told Steve that he’d be glad to look around and intimated that he might even have a lead on a table.
“There was a table, one that had been in our family for a long time,” says Richter. “It belonged to my grandfather who bought it from a pool hall somewhere between 1900 and 1910. When we divided my mother’s estate, my older brother had it boxed up and shipped to Chicago. He discovered it was too big to fit in his basement and that no one in his family particularly wanted it, except his son who planned on moving it to his fraternity house at Southern Cal. I was horrified at that prospect. I suggested that a better way to move the pool table along in its life would be to have it in a home where it would be honored.”
Neil’s brother agreed and in 1997, Richter, Steve and another friend, Doug Burns, went up to Chicago, trailer in tow, to pick up the table. What they found was full-size, 800-pound, 9-by-41/2-foot example of classic turn-of-the-century pool table art, plus many original accessories.
“I got real excited when I heard about it,” says Breckheimer. “We didn’t know what condition it was in. When we opened a crate, we were pleased about its quality, even though there was some damage. There were no instructions. I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t know if I could put it together or not. But I was determined to make it work.
“It was basically in three crates. The rails, legs and sides were separate. The superstructure was in ten pieces. There were probably 25 different pieces altogether. I just followed my instincts and tried to figure out where things would fit. I took the pieces that were damaged to an antique store in Asheville and they repaired and replaced the veneer. I discovered there were Roman numerals on the bottom of each rail. Putting the frame together was a little more of a challenge. The table only fits together one way. Once I figured out the pattern, the rest was relatively easy.”
After a three-year restoration, the big test came: playing on it. “It’s a wonderful table. It plays really well. The cushions are amazing. They’re original and you can do a three-sided bank without any problems. It’s the quality of the rubber that makes it work as well as it does,” says Steve appreciatively.
As rewarding as the restoration was, even more rewarding is the continuing family tradition the table affords. Steve named the table’s location “Grampa’s Poolroom” in honor of two patriarchs: his dad and Neil’s grandfather. Appropriately, when Steve held the grand opening party, his father Charles was given the honor of taking the first shot.
“I love the idea of the table staying in an environment where it will be loved, appreciated and valued,” says Richter.
“You just don’t give away a pool table like that,” Steve agrees.
