The original Bowlmor Lanes closed Monday night after 76 years in business.
Grieve posted their official goodbye, which states, in part, "Our historic location...is being forced to close in order to make way for a luxury condominium."
The whole building has been stripped of its many independent businesses--including Stromboli pizza, a magazine shop, and a parking garage--all regular-folks kind of stuff, all to make room for yet more luxury condos. Again, the many becomes the one. The democratic becomes the elitist.
I never bowled at Bowlmor after its dreadful renovation, which gutted the place of all its antique character, now just a hazy memory of brown wood paneling and dusty trophies. Still, the death of a bowling alley hurts. My childhood was spent among the lanes.
League nights were spent at the Bowl-A-Rama, occupying myself at the pinball machines and snack dispensers, where many bags of Bugles were consumed while my mother racked up spares and strikes, dressed in a T-shirt emblazoned with the unsavory slogan "Bowlers Do It with Balls."
I remember clouds of second-hand smoke and the yeasty smell of cheap beer. The hollow wooden music of pins knocking into each other, thrum of balls rolling along the glistening maple and pine. That mysterious sign that warned, "Do Not Lob the Ball."
There wasn't much left of the old Bowlmor at Bowlmor. I went looking in vain for it during a final visit. I could barely stand to be in the place, with its screaming music and flashing disco lights. But I do love the look of bowling shoes in their cubbies. And I found this one wall, hung with black-and-white photographs, that brought about a feeling of the old place.
No matter what, it was better than condos.
I'll miss it; was the only bowling alley I've been to that had waiter service. By the way, what's mysterious about no lobbing? Lobbing leads to broken balls or worse.
ReplyDeleteIt goes to show you it's all perspectives. I didn't know anything about Bowlmor's history before this. All I knew of it was a poster on the subway a few years ago showing some clubby girl and I just assumed it was one of these new high end bowling alleys designed to appeal to the Yunnies we complain about a lot.
ReplyDeleteI used to work near it and I think I remember velvet ropes and a club atmosphere but I might be getting that from the subway ad.
Somehow I didn't know you grew up here.
ReplyDeleteI hated Bowlmor. I only knew it in its latter incarnation, alas.
"Lob" is a mysterious word to a child. Or it was to me.
ReplyDeleteMarjorie, I did not grow up here--my bowling alley was another bowling alley.
I bet the new condo building will have a fro-yo place too!
ReplyDeleteI rarely bowled there, but I worked as a receptionist upstairs from them at New York Health and Racquet for about a year in the 80s. I remember two things: one was the noise, which wasn't confined to their floor. The other was the elevator! It held four people max and was manned by one of two characters. One was an old, nearly toothless man with a lottery habit who wore the same dark blue Dickie's workclothes and watchcap every day, and the other was a Chinese man of a similar age who spoke perhaps 20 words of English.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in bowling alleys in Brooklyn. I bowled here in the 90s with the Gay Bowling League. I was surprised it lasted as long as it did. My real concern is for Japonica, one of the better Japanese restaurants in the city. Since it's in the building, it's probably gone. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteUnknown -
ReplyDeleteJaponica is moving one block south to its original location.
Playing first base at punchball or slap, you would yell for someone to lob you the ball.
ReplyDeleteAlso, generally underhand, as it certainly would be when tossing a bowling ball!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the general attitude of this blog that all the 'new' residents are bad but its run by a transplant-absolutely amazing and let me guess anyone who moved here after you did or any small business that opened after you got here is a horrible gentrifer ? Amazing - I always wondered what the cutoff date on that was -
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: The documenting of established shops or buildings that close in NYC is a reflection of reality, which sometimes changes very quickly and other times slowly. Comments also reflect a sentiment that locals and long term residents feel, because this is what they know- it's their home. Of course some sadness, anger or melancholy will accompany the loss of home.
ReplyDeleteThat the changes recently in the Village is so utterly based on making money no matter what is a kind of social suicide, and must be called out. Those who grouse about status-seeking gentrifiers willing-to-overpay (even if it displaces the very locals they claim to think are cool and make a place unique) newcomers which play a very real role in that ruination is completely relevant. Nt all 'new' folk are bad but the majority are proving to be questionable at best.
The recent wave of gentrifiers are egregious classists, assisted by like minded real estate firms. Their greed creates instability, prices out the 'base' and disrupts the fabric of a neighborhood. I've noticed an extreme 3 year shift from neighborhoods like the West Village and much of Chelsea being stable, wonderful, fun, weird and creative turn soulless, snooty, total lack of community, new people are self-absorbed entitled, clueless anti-social brats, passive aggressive, few care for neighbors, or have concern for anyone else and never show support for local shops.
They brag about paying $5,000 for a tiny apt, constantly are flaunting wealth or status symbols, won't even engage in small talk with neighbors, or have decency to hold open elevator doors or tip doormen/building staff enough. As long as they can say they live somewhere cool though are clueless why it's cool, (or was!), don't care about the history, are a total square who adds no social character or value, are a taker not giver, and is willing to pay anything real estate companies ask for, they're essentially willing to be a zombie tool.
A neighborhood can survive if such cultural vampires comprise say, 10-30% of the population. But a society that tilts towards being a majority of all bland, rich 'takers' it cannot retain character or thrive. Their aloof selfishness, unwillingness to support local non-luxury shops and real estate prices set higher & higher collectively kill the neighborhood because real people are forced out, and 'anchor' shops close, only to be replaced by banks, crap chain stores... Sometimes upscale fad shops replace them yet few can afford or need so they go under within 6-12 months... and high turnover is terrible for a community. Moderate and stable is the bread & butter, makes a neighbor real. Turn your back on that and it's the best way to kill a thriving lively neighborhood.
We may being seeing the end of this cycle though where there's now only the very rich and clinging tight poor, since real estate prices have appeared to be topped out and aren't selling for asking prices (aside from foreign buyers who live elsewhere). The backlash has begun and the next 3 years will be very interesting to see how neighborhoods evolve... How those gentrifiers manage, with higher rents, leaner times, higher crime, lack of culture and no more cool people left. More likely will move, because sticking around and becoming a part of the neighborhood and sticking it out was never the plan.
My grandfather, in retirement, managed the CYO bowling alley in Yonkers. (That's the Catholic Youth Organization, and I kid you not.) He picked me up from school and took me with him to the lanes. I had my own pair of shoes as a first grader and was allowed to monopolize a lane while the big kids occupied themselves after school on the 5 others. Too bad about Bowlmor (both the renovation and now this).
ReplyDeleteas a lifelong new yorker in her late forties, i've always been aware that new york is indeed about change. but previous waves of "change" were just that -- change. little italy shrank because newer waves of chinese immigrants came in and gave it a different flavor. irish folks came into woodside or woodlawn, caribbean immigrants to what real estate agents now call prospect park south.....
ReplyDeletebut the past decade (or so) isn't about change, it's about homogenization. every single block of every single neighborhood has to be exactly the same, it seems. there are about seven allowable uses for storefronts -- banks, chain restaurants chief among them -- and no room for anything else. the "new" residents are all going to be transient, because most of them don't really like or have any use for new york, and are just marking time until a move to either the suburbs or back home to mom's. perhaps this will change in a couple of decades, but by then it will be too late.
There's something unreal, sentimental, and mawkish about this blog's pining for what was and vilifying what is. When was the ideal New York time? The folks who lived in non-air conditioned walk up tenements didn't see anything romantic, charming, or quaint in their lot. I say New York was at its best when it was a sylvan paradise untouched by human development. Compared to that era, the New York of the last 150 years is a concretized, inhuman, appalling, noxious hellscape. Change cannot and should not be stopped. Embrace it.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's all your perspective. Lots of people moved here when it was dirt cheap and g;ot their cheap apts and cheap retail leases and expected that for life. They and only they can decide what is good for this town. If you weren't here in the 80s you're a vampire man. No but who are you to judge? Who the hell are you? Manhattan isnt your little time capsule sanctuary and please stop with the selective memories. Especially.if you aren't even from here. I've been here my entire life and I don't whine and pine for some fantasy past that probably never existed. Can we be honest? This is about class.and race. Its horrible all these white and asian college grads here. They are horrible. What a joke. But they are bad people because they like things I don't and they have jobs and.maybe you're.bitter and angry that NYC has moved on and the era of violence and cheap rent.has ended. Loser mentality. I didn't realize that when you rolled in from Iowa you expected nothing to change especially the rent. Where does this mindset come from? You aren't owed a dirt cheap apt of anything else for that matter. Maybe the hood would have more stores stay open if there were fewer rent control people who always complain how broke they are. Maybe if you went to these places they'd stay open. So aggrivating. Transplants who think they are entitled to Manhattan Apts and 80s prices. Adapt to reality.
ReplyDelete