Costa Mesa, CA - The Kona Lanes bowling alley in Costa Mesa has long been an Orange County landmark. Since 1958, Kona Lanes has been home to bowlers and families seeking a fun place to hang out. 12-98

Kona Lanes
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the roadside greeting at Kona Lanes in Costa Mesa. The towering neon marquee brought a little South Seas scenery to Harbor Boulevard, where a night of island atmosphere came with bowling shoes instead of a boarding pass. Apparently paradise had room for a few gutter balls.

The sign was only the beginning. Behind it stood a bowling alley with a dramatic zigzag roofline, tropical touches, and enough personality to make an ordinary evening out feel like an occasion. This was a building that wanted to be noticed, and it certainly gave passing motorists something to look at.

The lights are now out at Kona Lanes... for good
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Opened in 1958, Kona Lanes was designed by Pat DeRosa of Powers, Daly & DeRosa, the architectural firm responsible for several of Southern California’s memorable bowling centers. These weren’t quiet little buildings tucked behind a parking lot. Their roofs, entrances, and enormous signs helped announce that something entertaining was going on inside.

A closer look at the famous marquee
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Kona mixed that space-age enthusiasm with a Polynesian theme. The angular roof seemed ready to take flight, while the roadside lettering suggested somewhere considerably more tropical than a busy Orange County intersection. Palm trees helped complete the scene. The traffic on Harbor Boulevard supplied a less convincing ocean breeze.

Inside were 40 lanes, along with a lounge, coffee shop, and game room. League bowlers had their regular nights, families could make an outing of it, and anyone whose game wasn’t going particularly well could find something else to do. A bowling alley like this offered more than a place to keep score.

The building in brighter colors
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

For decades, Kona was part of the neighborhood’s entertainment landscape. The nearby movie theater and ice rink added other ways to spend an afternoon or evening. Before entertainment arrived through a screen in everyone’s pocket, places like these gave people a reason to leave the house and meet somewhere.

Unfortunately, Kona Lanes shut its doors down for good in late May, 2003 and demolition on the building is nearly complete. It's interesting to see how quickly the building has been leveled.

The building a month or so prior to closing
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The marquee did its share of the welcoming. After dark, the neon turned the name into a landmark, giving the boulevard a splash of color that was difficult to mistake for anything else. Even someone who never bowled could grow familiar with that sign through years of driving past.

Unfortunately, the land beneath the lanes became more attractive for redevelopment than continued bowling. By 2003, the future of the center was in doubt. Plans for a Kohl’s department store drew opposition and were rejected, but that outcome didn’t save Kona.

Kona Lanes Marquee today
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The doors closed in May 2003. Equipment was sold, the lanes were dismantled, and demolition followed. The roofline that had given the place so much character disappeared along with the rooms beneath it. Another of Orange County’s imaginative roadside buildings became a collection of photographs and memories.

There was a brighter turn for part of the marquee. Donco Signs of Anaheim rescued the sign and donated it to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. The large lower “BOWL” section could not be saved, but the “KONA LANES” portion survived. A piece of Harbor Boulevard’s tropical greeting had quite a trip east.

On a brighter note, rumors are the sign itself has been saved by a sign museum.

The interior
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

That surviving section carries a reminder of the place, though the full scene was something else: neon above the street, the folded roof behind it, and an evening of bowling waiting inside. The photograph catches those pieces together, before the last frame and the demolition crew.

UPDATE: Kona Lanes closed in May 2003 and was demolished later that year. Part of its neon marquee was preserved at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. The former entertainment site was eventually redeveloped as the Azulón at Mesa Verde senior apartment community, which opened in 2014. 10-26

Night Prior to Demolition

Below is an interesting recollection of the events at the Kona Lanes the last night prior to demolition day. Many thanks to P. Caldwell for contributing both the summary of the evening and the photos.

By coincidence, I happened to be at Kona Lanes late its very last night before demolition. Below are a couple photos as the owner (and a few friends) feverishly scrambled to put things in order before wrecking crews arrived the following morning.

Bowling Lanes being taken apart
Costa Mesa, CA
Photos courtesy P. Caldwell

The additional thirty-day promised extension for vacating, had been suddenly (last minute abrupt without any explanations) withdrawn. Everyone quite unexpectedly had to do a whole lot of major scrambling, to clear out a huge furnished stocked building in only two short days. Needless to say, it was a mess.

Bowling Lanes being taken apart
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo courtesy P. Caldwell

The man with the clock is the last owner. At that moment he was enjoying a pleasant victory amidst an unpleasant experience. If I remember the story correctly: His father was the original architect/builder, who then purchased the lanes himself a few years later. Was so fond of them, he bought them back from his earlier clients when they decided to sell. Dad owned it for some years, and then his son (pictured) later took possession for their last and final decade.

Consequently, his own history and connection to Kona actually spanned his entire life. That clock face in his hands had been securely embedded into the center back wall, above all lanes since opening day. It was the one thing he wanted to personally retrieve as a memento for himself. However, there were problems. It was built into the wall, and that other clock was ticking. We eventually figured a way to get it dislodged, without completely destroying it in the process. Making this particular singular moment, probably the only happy high point of the entire and rather sad event.

Bowling Lanes being taken apart Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell	Bowling Lanes Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell
Bowling Lanes being taken apart Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell	The interior Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell
Gaming Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell	More removal Costa Mesa, CA Photo courtesy P. Caldwell

The following is from the July 2003 Preservation Alley archive

Costa Mesa, CA --- Another Orange County landmark destined for the history books?

Kona Lanes Bowl, still lit up at night
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Once upon a time, in a land not too long ago, unique bowling centers could be found throughout the Orange County area. Featuring unique mid-century architecture like the once wondrous Anaheim Bowl, fantastic marquees like those at the Garden Grove Bowl and Wonder Bowl, or tiki style themes like that at Kona Lanes, a fine bowling experience could be had at one of these ten pin alleys of choice.

Kona Lanes Bowl
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Sadly, the majority of the bowling centers are now nothing but a fond memory. And threatening to join the list of lost treasures is yet another treasure of yesterday. Kona Lanes.

Kona Lanes Bowl
Costa Mesa, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Kohl's Corporation is looking to build a retail store at the site of the still open and sometimes rather busy Kona Lanes, as well as the neighboring vacant Edwards theater. Help the community save this 1958 historical landmark.

For more information regarding preservation efforts towards saving this grand bowling alley, contact Adriene Biondo.

Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for photos and for bringing awareness to this critical time period for Kona Lanes and Orange County.

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