Museum of Gaming History
   An Educational Project of The Casino Collectibles Association, Inc.
   An IRS approved 501 (c) (3) Tax Exempt Not-For-Profit Organization 		ChipGuide
ChipGuide - A Catalog of Casino Chips and Collectibles
ChipGuide Member Services Search Resources Links
8614 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, California
Type: Illegal
Status: Closed
Open: 1927, Close: 1934

(Facebook) Cafe La Boheme was a speakeasy in Sunset Plaza on the Sunset Strip opened by former New York opera singer Joe Borgia in November 1927. The upstairs/ground floor was a French cafe with a dance floor and platform stage for the band; the lower floor was an illegal gambling hall. Cafe La Boheme closed briefly in 1932 but Borgia reopened in September as Club La Boheme, with a big name national vaudeville act, Karyl Norman, the cross-dressing Creole Fashion Plate. Club La Boheme was raided and closed for good in early 1934. Borgia briefly opened Cafe Trianon next door, but it was closed within months.

Hollywood Reporter founder/publisher Billy Wilkerson acquired the lease, renovated the building and opened it as Cafe Trocadero in September 1934. The Troc quickly became one of the most famous nightclubs in the world. The address was changed to 8610 Sunset but the motif was still French upstairs, and gambling continued downstairs, albeit high-stakes only for Wilkerson's high roller movie-mogul friends. Wilkerson sold Cafe Trocadero in May 1938. It closed for good the next year and remained dark until 1944 when a club called simply The Trocadero opened featuring Latin music. This iteration of the Troc went through a series of owners and closed in 1947. The building was later demolished.
About Illegal Casinos - by their nature, information about illegal, or unlicensed, casinos is hard to find and difficult to verify. Information presented on the ChipGuide about these casinos is provided as the result of our best efforts but may not be 100% accurate. Even if the information is accurate, gamblers move around and may take their equipment with them; items used in one casino may have also been used in others. Please send verified information about illegal casinos to the ChipGuide so that we may improve our accuracy.
Collapse All Return to California Expand All

ITEM
SCANS
NEEDED
ITEM
SCANS
NEEDED
Total Items (0)

© Copyright 2009-2024. All rights reserved. Contact: TheMOGH