Aztec Bowl (Demolished)
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
Check out the pointy lettering and starbursts on the old Aztec Bowl sign in San Diego. Here’s a bowling marquee with enough space-age personality to catch the eye before anyone thought about renting shoes. Apparently, a plain rectangle reading “Bowling” wasn’t going to be enough. 07-07
Opened in 1959, Aztec Bowl became a neighborhood gathering place in North Park. The lanes offered the usual strikes, spares, and gutter balls, while the Turquoise Lounge gave visitors another reason to stick around.
Live bands and DJs added a soundtrack beyond the rumble of bowling balls. By its later years, the place hosted rock and punk shows, making an evening at the alley considerably louder than the score sheet might suggest. Bowling and live music under one roof. Quite a combination.
Aztec Bowl
San Diego, CA Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey
The venue marked its approaching end with “The Final Frame,” a farewell concert party on July 22, 2001. The bowling alley closed that summer and was demolished for residential development, leaving the neighborhood without its familiar lanes and lounge.
UPDATE: The bowling alley is gone, but its distinctive sign was saved and incorporated into the residential complex that replaced it. Those sharp letters and starbursts still recall the old Aztec Bowl, even though following the marquee won’t lead to a lane anymore. Fortunately, this piece of roadside flair escaped the wrecking ball. 10-26
