ILA Hall was built in 1892 as a single story brick building and was located in the heart of a black community on the West Side of the city of Port, Arthur, Texas. The ILA Hall was known as a negro hall. ILA Hall operated for several years. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/39238572/)
The first renovations and remodeling of ILA Hall took place in 1920 during the 1920-1921 fiscal year. Now ILA Hall was a well known center for social gatherings and meetings in 1921. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1126208/)
Now ILA Hall was a hotbed for activism as many rallies were held here over the years. Political activism was no exception. One of political activism is the West Side Roosevelt FDR Club holding a rally on a Monday night back in 1940. This rally had number of people in attendance. The rally made into the news column under the heading of “WEST SIDE FDR CLUB PLANS RALLY MONDAY” . (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-nov-03-1940-p-24/)
“WEST SIDE FDR CLUB PLANS RALLY MONDAY
The West Side Roosevelt club will hold a rally in the ILA hall at Texas Avenue and West Seventh Street Monday night at 8 o’clock, Nat Williams, president, said Saturday. Young people from Port Arthur, Beaumont, Nederland and Orange will participate in the district observance.”
The ILA Hall building was remodeled and renovated for a second time in 1966. (Ref: https://propaccess.trueautomation.com/clientdb/Property.aspx?cid=91&prop_id=95655)
The ILA Hall shut down in 1990. The ILA Hall would later become a pool hall called Sweet D’s Pool Hall which was operated by a man named “L.A” and Curley Adams Jr. himself. Sweet D’s Pool Hall was set up inside the former church in 1991. The pool hall is where drugs were often distributed and sold to users.
A combination of efforts between local and federal law enforcement agencies resulted in the arrest of a man named “L.A.” who was suspected of distributing drugs from Sweet “D’s” Pool Hall on Port Arthur’s west side in late December 1994. “L.A.” was believed to be a major source in the Houston/Port Arthur trafficking organization which regularly brings in large amounts of narcotics. 8 other people were involved at the time. The other man was arrested in Port Arthur.
The investigation into the hall’s owner and his distributors was ongoing for about 10 months. Officers with the Jefferson County Narcotics Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigations simultaneously executed three federal search and arrest warrants in Port Arthur. Both men were charged with felony conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. (Ref: https://portarthurnews.newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news/1994-12-23/page-3/)
According to the Port Arthur News newspaper, the ILA Hall was condemned after the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas entered an Order of Forfeiture condemning and forfeiting the property in 1995. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-nov-19-1995-p-30/)
[IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS BEAUMONT DIVISION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. CURLEY ADAMS, JR. { NO. 1:95-CR-2(1) NOTICE OF FORFEITURE }
Notice is hereby given that on September 18. 1995 in the case of United States of America c. Curley Adams. Jr., Criminal No. 195-CR-2(1), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas entered an Order of Forfeiture condemning and forfeiting the following property located at 723 Texas Avenue, Port Arthur, Texas, to the United States of America: The property is all that lot or parcel of land. together with Its buildings, improvements, fixtures, attachments and easements located at 723 Texas Avenue, Port Arthur, Texas, said property belonging to Curley Adams, Jr., more particularly described as follows A tract of land out of the B B B & C R R Co. Survey, Pat #346, in Jefferson County, Texas deserted as follows BEGINNING at a point 1590 feet South 40 deg West, and 150 feet South 50 deg East from tire West corner of Lot Number Seven (7), In Block Number Seventy-five (75), of the City of Port Arthur, Texas, at the corner of Eighth Street and Houston Avenue, as per the recorded plat of said City, THENCE first course. South 40 deg West, 50 feet, THENCE second course. South 50 deg East. 100 feet to the North line of the Texarkana & Fort Smith right-of-way; THENCE third course]
Curley Adams pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and his property was repossessed. So on the date of 12/26/1996 is when Curley Adams Jr had the property sold and transferred to the City of Port Arthur on a warranty deed. (Ref: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/735348/united-states-v-curley-adams-jr/?)
Defendant Curley Adams appeals the sentence he received after pleading guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base in 1997. (Ref: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/20602/united-states-v-adams/)
A business called Holiness Pentecostal Sanctified Church was incorporated on the date of 1/9/1997. Holiness Pentecostal Sanctified Church rented the property from the City of Port Arthur in 1997. The church began operations shortly after. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0142910201)
According to records from Enriched Real Estate, a person named Casey Sitter is currently the owner of this church. This person has this property designed specifically as a lodge (Property type: Lodge). Interestingly Enriched Real Estate has the owner name listed as CITY OF PORT ARTHUR; DBA SWEET DS POOL HALL. Sweet D’s Pool Hall was set up inside the former ILA Hall. (Ref: https://www.enrichedrealestate.com/723-Freeman-Ave-Port-Arthur-TX-77640/Service/Lodge/Id=6909347)
Over the course of 2 decades, several businesses have used this property on a lease from the city. This included social clubs, civil unions, nonprofits, and Port Arthur Police Department.
From 1999 to 2001, Mentors Outlining Definitives for Earthly Living (M.O.D.E.L.) used this location on a lease from the city. They were a non-profit organization built on fostering community development activities within the West Side neighborhoods of Port Arthur. Their organization was dedicated to improving the quality of life of people on the West Side.
Mentors Outlining Definitives for Earthly Livings shared offices with Port Arthur Police Department for a year or two. This location was also their new home. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-jul-28-1999-p-1/)
City of Port Arthur and Holiness Pentecostal Sanctified Church turned the former ILA into a community center in 2001. By 2001 Mentors Outlining Definitives for Earthly Livings was still sharing offices with Port Arthur Police Department. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-oct-04-2001-p-7/)
Port Arthur Police Department relocated their offices to another location in 2002 and Mentors Outlining Definitives for Earthly Livings moved back into First Baptist Church in 2003. This property reverted back to the City of Port Arthur afterwards.
In 2018, Golden Triangle Church on the Rock purchased the former ILA Hall from the City of Port Arthur. Today Golden Triangle Church on the Rock currently owns this church. A few windows have been boarded up since 2016. Holiness Pentecostal Sanctified Church is also home to Master Billy Kelley’s School of Martial Arts and Black Tigers Karate. (Ref: https://propaccess.trueautomation.com/clientdb/Property.aspx?cid=91&prop_id=95655&year=2019)
The former address for ILA Hall was 723 Texas Avenue, Port Arthur, Texas, US 77642. The current address of ILA Hall is 723 Freeman Avenue, Port Arthur, Texas, US 77642.
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