Fontana Bowl (Gone)
Fontana, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Along Foothill Boulevard, the old Fontana Bowl was showing its age when this photograph was taken. The weathered signage and building still offered a glimpse of an earlier roadside recreation stop, though the place looked as if it could use more than a little attention. A later coat of metallic-looking paint gave the exterior an unusual new finish. 11-99
Situated along the Route 66 corridor, the bowling alley belonged to the local entertainment landscape that grew around the busy highway. Places like this gave residents a destination close to home, with the roadside lettering helping newcomers find their way in.
By the time of the original visit, the fading exterior had become part of the story. The metallic paint changed its appearance, but couldn’t bring back the activity that once made the lanes a gathering place.
UPDATE: Fontana Bowl is gone. The photograph records the former bowling property before its removal; the precise demolition date was around the start of the century. 10-26
La Puente Lanes (Demolished)
La Puente, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A few games of bowling weren’t the only reason to stop at La Puente Lanes. Pool tables and video games offered other ways to spend an evening, especially if the bowling score was heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the center was razed in 2006, ending its run as a neighborhood recreation destination. 12-06
The bowling alley stood on North Hacienda Boulevard, where league bowlers and families could make an outing of the place. Between the lanes, lounge, and arcade, there was enough going on to keep a group occupied without everyone needing the same idea of entertainment.
Like many older bowling centers, it became familiar through regular visits. A weekly league night or a few games with friends could turn an ordinary commercial building into a place with years of memories attached.
La Puente Lanes (Demolished)
La Puente, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Demolition took away that gathering spot, leaving photographs and recollections to preserve its earlier life. The sound of falling pins and the glow of arcade screens became part of the neighborhood’s past.
UPDATE: La Puente Lanes was demolished in 2006. Historical records place the center at 1255 North Hacienda Boulevard. 10-26
Rossmoor Bowl (Demolished)
Seal Beach, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Next to the former Parasol Restaurant, Rossmoor Bowl gave Seal Beach and Los Alamitos residents a convenient place to follow breakfast with a few games. The Parasol’s distinctive roof supplied the coffee-shop scenery, while the lanes offered a little exercise afterward. Whether bowling worked off the pancakes was another matter.
Opened in 1962, the 40-lane center became a familiar destination at the Rossmoor shopping center. League bowlers returned for their regular nights, while families could make an outing of the neighboring restaurant and bowling alley. Together, the two businesses gave this corner a recognizable mid-century character. There was something appealing about finding breakfast and an afternoon’s entertainment within a short walk of each other.
Unfortunately, redevelopment changed that familiar arrangement. Rossmoor Bowl closed on April 30, 2006, and the bowling building disappeared as the shopping center took on a new look.
UPDATE: Rossmoor Bowl was demolished following its April 2006 closure. The shopping center became the Shops at Rossmoor, with a Sprouts Farmers Market near the former bowling location. 10-26
San Gabriel Bowl (Demolished)
San Gabriel, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Rising above the roofline, the marquee at San Gabriel Bowl gave San Gabriel Boulevard a little deco-style scenery. Its distinctive lettering made the bowling center worth noticing from the street, even without plans to stop for a game. 12-98
After the lanes closed, the building stood vacant and for sale. The familiar invitation remained above a property whose next chapter was uncertain, with the sign outlasting the activity it advertised.
Unfortunately, the building eventually came down. The photograph preserves the earlier roadside scene, when the marquee still had a bowling center beneath it.
UPDATE: San Gabriel Bowl at 215 South San Gabriel Boulevard was demolished. Its rooftop marquee was subsequently removed from the property. 10-26
Gable House Bowl (Demolished)
Torrance, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s the sign for Gable House Bowl in Torrance, back when the Hawthorne Boulevard center was still welcoming customers for another evening at the lanes. For local bowlers, it was a familiar destination. For passing motorists, the roadside sign helped mark the stop. 12-98
Opened in 1960, the 40-lane center entertained generations of South Bay residents. Bowling was joined by arcade games, laser tag, and Jack’s Place Tavern, giving groups several ways to spend an evening.
Unfortunately, the long run ended in 2023. Residential redevelopment replaced the bowling center, retaining the Gable House name for a very different kind of destination.
UPDATE: Gable House Bowl at 22501 Hawthorne Boulevard closed in 2023 and was demolished for a 218-unit apartment development with ground-floor commercial space. The new project carries the Gable House name. 10-26
Regal Lanes (Demolished)
Orange, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Along Tustin Avenue in Orange, Regal Lanes gave families and league bowlers a place to gather for an evening of ten-pin entertainment. Opened in 1974, the center became a familiar recreation destination for people who returned week after week, often hoping this would finally be the night everything went their way. 02-99
The lanes belonged to a later chapter of Southern California’s bowling boom, but carried on the same tradition of making an outing of a few games. Friends could meet, families could spend an evening together, and regulars had another score to discuss afterward.
Unfortunately, the property eventually became more useful to the neighboring car dealership. The bowling center closed, and cars took the place of customers arriving with bowling bags.
UPDATE: Like many other bowling alleys in Orange County, Regal Lanes closed down
for good almost a decade ago. The bowling alley property was sold to the neighboring Toyota Dealership for more parking. 07-13
UPDATE: Regal Lanes was demolished after the property was sold to Toyota of Orange for vehicle parking. The former bowling building and roadside signage are gone. 10-26
Fontana Bowl (Gone)
Along Foothill Boulevard, the old Fontana Bowl was showing its age when this photograph was taken. The weathered signage and building still offered a glimpse of an earlier roadside recreation stop, though the place looked as if it could use more than a little attention. A later coat of metallic-looking paint gave the exterior an unusual new finish. 11-99
La Puente Lanes (Demolished)
La Puente Lanes (Demolished)
Rossmoor Bowl (Demolished)
San Gabriel Bowl (Demolished)
Gable House Bowl (Demolished)
Regal Lanes (Demolished)
