Hollywood Star Lanes (Demolished)
Los Angeles, CA Photos courtesy Ronald Mueller
Check out the big star at Hollywood Star Lanes in Los Angeles. The flashing neon marquee gave Santa Monica Boulevard a little Hollywood showmanship, announcing the lanes from well above the traffic. No need to dress up for this attraction. Rental shoes would do just fine.
Opened in 1961, the 32-lane alley welcomed neighborhood bowlers for decades before finding a much larger audience as the bowling location in The Big Lebowski. The 1998 film brought the Dude and his companions to the lanes, making the place a destination for movie fans as well as league regulars.
Unfortunately, its screen appearance couldn’t save it when the school district acquired the property for an elementary school. A dollar-priced farewell celebration in August 2002 gave customers one last chance to bowl and look around before demolition.
Hollywood Star Lanes (Demolished)
Los Angeles, CA Photos courtesy Ronald Mueller
A few pieces escaped the wrecking crew. The “Hollywood” lettering and wood from lane seven were salvaged for Lucky Strike in Hollywood, giving parts of the old alley another night out.
UPDATE: Hollywood Star Lanes at 5227 Santa Monica Boulevard closed in August 2002 and was subsequently demolished for Kingsley Elementary School. The original neon star marquee is gone. 10-26
Garden Square Bowl (Demolished)
Garden Grove, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Check out the giant pin and bowling ball at Garden Square Bowl in Garden Grove. The towering neon marquee gave motorists a clear invitation to pull in, with “32 LANES” adding a little reassurance that there was room for a game.Many thanks to Roman Saienni for clarification on name
of this bowling alley.
Even the ball’s finger holes were part of the display. The oversized equipment and angular sign panels turned a familiar bowling scene into something worth noticing from Garden Grove Boulevard. After dark, the neon gave the invitation a little extra glow.
Inside, a coffee shop, dining room, and dance lounge helped make an evening of the visit. A few games could lead to dinner or a longer stay, especially if someone wanted another chance to improve the score.
UPDATE: Garden Square Bowl at 9580 Garden Grove Boulevard was demolished and replaced by an Asian commercial shopping plaza. The enormous neon marquee is gone. 10
Friendly Hills Bowl (Closed)
Whittier, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The tall diamond-accented marquee at Friendly Hills Bowl gave Whittier Boulevard a lively bowling invitation. Opened in 1957 and designed by Powers, Daly & DeRosa, the 32-lane center included a coffee shop and the Mayan Room Lounge.
The lanes eventually went quiet, but important parts of the building and sign found another purpose. The marquee now offers shopping instead of bowling, with “SHOP” occupying the panels that once spelled “BOWL.”
UPDATE: The Friendly Hills Bowl was partially demolished and remodeled into a grocery store called Aldi and a BevMo. When the Friendly Hills Bowl closed in June 2015, the former AMF alley took its sign down raising concerns of sign fans. The marquee was redone and now displays the word "shop". A good portion of the building was left intact. 09-17
UPDATE: Friendly Hills Bowl closed in June 2015. The property was partially demolished and adapted for retail use, including Aldi and BevMo, with the altered historic marquee preserved. 10-26
Bowlium (Removed)
Montclair, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here's a fine looking sign for the Bowlium, located in Montclair.
From the great looking colors to the googie shapes and lettering, this
marquee is a real eye-catcher. Unfortunately, this sign was torn down
and replaced a couple of years ago.
The Bowlium originally opened back in 1958 and was one of several bowling alleys that drew folks into for both day and night entertainment. As mentioned above, the sign was removed in 1999 and replaced with an interesting "neo-googie" type of sign.
Simi Bowl
Simi Valley, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the front of Simi Bowl in Simi Valley. The angular facade gives the place a mid-century look worth noticing before anyone heads inside. Apparently a few games of bowling deserved something more imaginative than a plain storefront.
Designed by Powers, Daly & DeRosa, the center belongs to the architectural tradition that gave Southern California bowling alleys their space-age personality. These places made family recreation a roadside attraction, with distinctive entrances helping set the mood for an evening out.
UPDATE: Simi Bowl remains open as harley’s Simi Bowl at 480 East Los Angeles Avenue. Its recognizable mid-century facade survives, while the center continues operating with modern bowling equipment and food and entertainment offerings. 10-26
Clark Bowl (Demolished) Norwalk, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Check out the A-frame entrance at Clark Bowl in Norwalk. The dramatic canopy gave the bowling alley a mid-century introduction worth noticing, even when the rest of the place was beginning to look a little tired.
The original photograph catches the center during its later years, when the lanes were still operating despite the run down appearance. League bowlers and neighborhood customers could head beneath that entrance for another evening of strikes, spares, and shots that didn’t quite go as planned.
Unfortunately, the building’s distinctive shape wasn’t enough to keep it standing. The bowling operation eventually closed, and the A-frame became another piece of roadside architecture preserved in photographs.
UPDATE : The Clark Bowl is now closed. Thanks to Andre Eubanks for update.
UPDATE: Clark Bowl was subsequently demolished, and its original signage is gone. 10-26
Simi Bowl
Clark Bowl (Demolished)
