ROSARITO.- Rene's Sports Bar and Restaurant, a legendary Rosarito gathering-spot since its opening in 1924, has closed its doors after 91 years of service to the community. After undergoing extensive renovation it is to become a casino. It is reported that a small bar, called 'Rene's' will be located inside the casino as a gesture in remembrance of its storied past.

With the exception of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, no establishment in Rosarito has been more important in the history of the community than has Rene's. Rene's has over the years hosted countless events for the entire neighboring community including Oktoberfest celebrations, food fairs, charity events, and an annual charity golf tournament.

The complex was founded by Sr. Juan Ortiz Velarde, a rancher who had come to the area in 1923 upon the recommendation of his friend, and fellow Sonoran, General Abelardo Rodriguez, the military governor of the territory of northern Baja California.

Had Sr. Ortiz arrived one year earlier he might have changed his mind. The area contained little more than scattered, solitary ranch houses with a small pack of saddled rental horses for the few intrepid tourists venturing into the area over the rutted, dirt track road for hunting and fishing purposes.

But that all changed in 1923 when the two-lane blacktop road from Tijuana to Ensenada was completed, opening-up the coastline. The project had begun in 1921 under the urgent directive of Governor Rodriguez. Upon completion, enthusiastic motorists began making the all-day trek from Tijuana to Ensenada. But there were no amenities on this desolate road.

The first outpost had opened one year earlier, a batwing, swinging-door cantina on a picturesque ocean bluff halfway between Tijuana and Ensenada known as Medio Camino, or called in English 'Halfway House.' It was a bus stop for campesinos and an improvised "gasoline station" was added in the form of oil drums at the top of wooden platforms where gravity fed the cars in measured gallons.

Today, the gas tanks are gone, but the restaurant and bar are still there, virtually unchanged. Governor Rodriquez went on to become the 43rd President of Mexico. The Tijuana reservoir and airport are named after him. One year after the Halfway House opening, Sr. Ortiz took advantage of the same opportunity. On his large tract of land he built a small food stand and constructed tents for overnight visitors; then cabins. The Restaurant and tourist camp evolved from that.

Meanwhile, just a few hundred meters to the north, in 1926, a small hotel was opened with ten bedrooms and one bathroom. This was the beginning of what eventually became the jewel in Rosarito's crown, the Rosarito Beach Hotel. When, in 1935, the original Sr. Ortiz died, the complex was handed over to his son, Rene Ortiz Campoy, who really began to put Rene's on the map.

A philanthropist, Rene Ortiz was highly instrumental in establishing and supporting for years the Cruz Roja in Rosarito, among many other civic activities. A congenial host, Rene became friends with showbiz and sports figures, as well as anyone who walked through the door at Rene's.

Memorabilia in the bar included signed photos from annual visitor Phil Harris, who used to rent a cabin on the beach for a few weeks every year. There were signed photographs of once-famous boxers on the wall whose names are lost to memory and jockeys who had ridden regularly at Agua Caliente racetrack, including a riding habit signed by Laffit Pincay, Jr., mounted behind a glass picture frame.

Rene Ortiz Campoy died in 1985, and the complex was passed on to his son, Rene Ortiz Palacio, who ran Rene's successfully for another twenty years. In its heyday, Rene's would get so crowded at weekends that it was difficult to find a seat at the bar or a table. On fight nights, and special sporting events, there were one-hour waits in line just to get in.

But the business began to experience problems about eight years ago along with the general northern Baja economic downturn. Further, a non-stop, sensationalist drumbeat of narco news stories in the media frightened-off, not just tourists, but seasoned residents of the two mobile home parks that straddled both sides of the restaurant compound.

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As a result, many of these residents, who also had homes in the U.S., stopped crossing the border into Mexico and sold off their homes at fire-sale prices to get out from under the monthly service charges. Seven years ago, ill health within the Ortiz family and a labor dispute forced the restaurant's closure for two years.

When it re-opened, with new flat screen televisions and new bathrooms, Rene's nevertheless struggled to attract new customers and many of the old time customers had moved away. Some found other options. Some died.

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Last year, on July 25th, a big 90th Birthday Bash was held at Rene's to celebrate the occasion. The old place was packed and humming and there was no outward sign that it would be closed down in less than a year. But the slow decline had been visible for a long time.

In a few months, the interior of the old Rene's Sports Bar Restaurant will be a gaming floor filled with the electronic equivalent of one-armed bandits: consoles beeping and lights exploding where once, in a time-honored ritual, the old customers of Rene's would look out to sea at sunset, hoping for the green flash.

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