Question: What Texas seminary is home to what was once a notorious Prohibition-era casino?
Answer: Arlington Baptist University, which was known as Bible Baptist Seminary when it purchased the site of the Top O’ Hill Terrace in 1956. The establishment operated as a tearoom in the 1920s and converted into a nightclub following a change in ownership and the opening of the Arlington Downs horse track in 1929. A large gate and guard towers were added, and a network of tunnels was built to allow patrons to escape undetected if law enforcement showed up.
Celebrities like Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes, and John Wayne are said to have visited the casino during its heyday. J. Frank Norris, the pastor of First Baptist Church, called the Top O’ Hill Terrace a “blight on Tarrant County” and vowed to own it one day. In 1947, a Texas Rangers raid finally succeeded in putting a stop to the illegal activity, and the property was sold a few years later.
