THE CAPRI HOTEL, BUILT AT COST OF 5.5 MILLIONS DOLARS BY JAIME CANAVES LULL, OWNER AND MANAGER OF CONSTRUCTORA JAIME CNAVES, COMANIA JAIME CANAVES BUILDING COMPANY WAS INAUGURATED ON DECEMBER 10TH 1957. IT WAS LEASED TO THE AMERICAN COMPANY SHEPPAR HOTELS INC THAT OULD OPERATE IT FOR 20 YEARS AND THE PRESIDEN OF WICH WAS J.J SHEPPAR, OWNER OF PONCE DE LEON AND LEAMINGONG HOTELS, BOTH IN MIAMI
LOCATED ON STRATEGIC AND HIGH POSITION, ON THE CORNER OF N AND 21 IN VEDADO, JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY FROM NATIONAL H OTEL, THREE FROM THE HILTON, AND PRACTICALLY IN THE CENTRE OF THE SO CALLED RAMPA, MAIN COMMERCIAL AND AMUSEMENT AREA IN HAVANA, IT HAD ALL THAT WAS NEEDED FOR A GRIGHT FUTURE.
IT CASINO WAS LOCATED ON ONE OF THE BUILDING WINGS, WITH INDEPENDENT ACCESS NEXT DOOR TO THE HOTELS ENTRANCE, AND A SUPERB NEON SIGN ON ITS FACADE. IT WAS THE ONLY CASINO LOCATED IN A HOTEL THAT HAD SUCH INDEPENDENCE. IT IS EVEN SAID THAT THE FAC THAT DESIGNERS GAVE IT SUCH DIMENSIONS AND IMPORTANCE WAS DETRIMENTAL TO THE HOTELS IMAGE, THAT ACTUALLY HADE A VERY SMALL AND POORLY CONCEIVED FRONT DOOR NOT IN LINE WITH THE BUILDINGS ELEGANCE
THE FACILITY HAD TWO ROOMS , ONE ON THE FRONT THAT FUNCTIONED AS A CABARE AND BALL ROOM, TRADITINALLY CALLED SALON ROJO BY CUBANS, AND AN ADJOINING ONE SUMPTUUOSLY FIT OUT WITH CARPETS, SEVERAL HUGE LAMPS, SLOT MACHINES, ESPECIAL TABLES TO PLAY CARDS AND DICE, AND SIX ROULETTE TABLES, ORGANIZED IN A CIRCLE AROUND A CENTRAL ONE FO THE GENERAL SUPERVISOR, ACCORDING TO THE LATES NORMS FOR SUCH PLACES.
ALTHOUGH EVERY ONE KNOW MEYER LANDKY WAS THE TRUE OWNER AND ORGANIZER, THE CASINO WS OFFICIALLY RAN BY SANTOS TRAFICANTE JR, MEMBER OF THE NEW YORKS MAFIA WHO HAD BEEN PROSECUTED FOR THE MURDER OF ALBERT ANASTASIA IN NEW YORK IN 1957. TRAFICANTE WAS CONSIDERED THE KING OF BOLITA IN TAMPA. HE ALSO OPERTATED THE CASINOS OF THE COMODORO HOTEL AND THE SANS SOUCI CABARET, AND HIS SECOND MAN IN CUBA WAS JOSEPH SILESI, AKA JOE RIVERS.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THIS CENTRE HISTORY WAS THE PRESENCE OF THE CHARISMATIC ACTOR GEORGE RAFT, FAMOUJS NOT ONLY AS AN ARTIS BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF H IS CONNEXIONS WITH THE MAFIA. FROM THE VERY BEGGINING, RAFT APPEARED AS THE CASINO DALY HOST, HIS PRESENCE ATTRACTED A GREAT DEAL OF HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES, WHO WOULD MAKE SHORT TIRPS ON WEEKENDS TO ENJOY FIRST CLASSS GAMBLING AND THE WORNDOERFUL SHOW THIS PLACE HAD TO OFFER. THIS WS MAYBE THE REASON TO ISSUE THE FAMOUS 5 PESO CHIP WITH THE ACTOR IMAGE THAT HE WOULD GIVE AS A PRESENT TO THE MOS OUSTANDING GUEST AS AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND ADVERTISING MECHANISM.
IT S CHIPS WER ORDERED FORM THE BURT COMANY IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR MANUFACTURE WAS OF HIGH QUALITY. TWO SERIES WITH CHIPS WORTH 1,5,25 PESOS, PLUS A 100 PESOS CHIP THAT READS CREDIT. AS TO THE TABLES, THESER WER NAMED BY THE LETTERS A,B,C,D,E,F AND EACH ONE HAD THE TRADITIONAL COLOURS OF CHIPS WITH NO VALUE: RED, BLUE, YELLOW, CREAM , AND BROWN, AND DARK BROWN CHIPS WITH A VALUE OF 5 PESOS
THIS WAS ONE OF THE FEW CASINOS GRANTED AUTHORIZATION TO REOPEN AFTER THE TRIUMPH OF THE REVOLUTION, BUT IT FACED THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE OTHERS, AMING MORE LOSS THAT PROFITS. THEREFORE, IT WAS SOON DISMANTLED.
ITS CHIPS ARE THE MOS COMMON ONES IN THE CUBAN COLLECTION. THIS DREIVES FORM THE AMOUNT OF CHIPS IT ISSUED AND FROM THE FACT THAT BEWEEN ITS BANKRUPTCY HALFWY THOUUGH THE 60S AND TGHE NATIONALIZATION OF CASINOS IN THE LATE 1961 IT WAS TURNED INTO A LUXURY CABARET. THEREFORE, ALL THE EQUIPMENT, CHIPS INCLUDED, WERE WITHING REACH OF THE SEVERAL BRIGADES WORKING IN THE REMODELLLING AND ENDED UP IN PRIVATE HANDS.