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Willow Grove Park Bowling Lanes, Willow Grove, PA (other) |
hmdTiki
Member
Joined: Jul 28, 2011
Posts: 9 |  Posted: 2011-08-22 1:33 pm Permalink
Architects: Powers, Daly and DeRosa (masters of the "California-style" bowling center)
"Willow Grove Lanes was the most ambitious project undertaken by Powers, Daly, and DeRosa... The 800-foot-long V-shaped building took fifteen months to build. Viewed from the outside, it was nothing if not breathtaking. The main entrance was highlighted by a solid parabola that swung skyward 116 feet and hovered over a multicolored water fountain situated in a miniature lake. When you entered the building, your eye was drawn to a rotating turntable display of bowling paraphernalia. To accommodate the disparate needs of different types of customers, the architects provided a variety of ancillary social spaces. Their nursery boasted a life-sized rocking horse. Teenagers fraternized at a soda bar called 'The Hutch.' Adults were invited to sample the German fare at the 'Hofbrau,' a full service restaurant" (excerpt from the book Diners, Bowling Alleys and Trailer Parks by Andrew Hurley, 2001, pp. 154-155).
Other Powers, Daly and DeRosa-designed bowling centers that are still in existence include Bel Mateo Bowl (San Mateo, CA), Country Club Lanes (Sacramento, CA), and Covina Bowl (Covina, CA).
A recent picture taken at Country Club Lanes...
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11329
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2011-08-22 6:32 pm Permalink
Wow, that still exists !? Good to know!
Which Covina Bowl, THIS one:
...or the West Covina Bowl:
Both still stand, also. 
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hmdTiki
Member
Joined: Jul 28, 2011
Posts: 9 | Posted: 2011-08-29 10:07 pm Permalink
Covina Bowl... sorry, not sure who designed West Covina Bowl.
My friend Gretchen (of SacMod) and I have been trying our best to document the NorCal Powers, Daly, and DeRosa bowling centers.
Not all too long ago, sadly, the SF Bay Area lost our most eye-popping example - Futurama Bowl in San Jose.
Promoted as “San Jose’s Newest and Finest Bowling Alley,” Futurama Bowl opened in 1961 at 5390 Stevens Creek Blvd. Futurama featured 42 “automatic” lanes, a restaurant/cocktail lounge called the Magic Carpet Room, and a fitness center called the Glamorama Room.
After a 30+ year run, the bowling alley was closed to be transformed into a Safeway grocery store. All that remains today is Futurama’s quintessentially Googie sign, revamped and repurposed, its towering bowling pin supplanted by a giant Safeway logo.
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hmdTiki
Member
Joined: Jul 28, 2011
Posts: 9 | Posted: 2011-08-30 1:25 pm Permalink
There's a Covina Bowl ashtray currently on eBay for anyone who might have interest...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Covina-California-Bowling-alley-ashtray-Pyramids-/380364334164?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588f7b2454
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AshburnStadium
Member
Joined: Jan 24, 2012
Posts: 1 | Posted: 2012-01-24 03:09 am Permalink
I grew up in Willow Grove (1973-88), and only moved out of the area in 2010. The bowling alley wasn't 116 lanes. It had 110 lanes, and was the second-largest bowling alley on earth. The record holder is in Tokyo, and it DOES have 116 lanes.
The bowling alley building still stands, but it no longer has that monstrous overhang in the front. It's been converted into a small strip shopping center.
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