Detroit Bowling Alleys

**Detroit Signal** · December-07-09, 04:05 PM

Tony was a great guy. He will be missed.

**Fury13** · December-08-09, 06:33 AM

Originally Posted by jcole

Here's a partial list of Detroit area bowling alleys from Detroit Memories. I found six on Gratiot. It says Centennial is at Gratiot and Toepfer, which is 9 1/2 mile.

Toepfer is 8 1/2 Mile.

**slick** · December-08-09, 10:27 AM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...8464/index.htm

Nice article on the great Stroh team with Tony Lindemann

**exmotowner** · December-08-09, 11:09 AM

In the gay bar GiGi's on Warren, [[under their parking lot) there is an old bowling alley that has been blocked up for years. You can [[or could) still access it through the basement. does anyone know when this was a working bowling alley [[years of operation) and the name of it? I've always wondered about it. Also, Todd's Bowling Disco on 7 and VanDyke. What was the name of that and the years of operation? Thanks for any info you can provide.

**exmotowner** · December-11-09, 01:26 PM

Just wanted to get this thread back on top because I would like to know about the two bowling alleys that were turned into gay bars.
Thanks, ex

**zitro** · December-11-09, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by exmotowner

In the gay bar GiGi's on Warren, [[under their parking lot) there is an old bowling alley that has been blocked up for years. You can [[or could) still access it through the basement. does anyone know when this was a working bowling alley [[years of operation) and the name of it? I've always wondered about it. Also, Todd's Bowling Disco on 7 and VanDyke. What was the name of that and the years of operation? Thanks for any info you can provide.

The bowling alley on Warren if it's eastisde it sounds like it could be part of the old Nottingham bar which had a small bowling alley inside.

The place on 7 & Van Dyke sounds like the old Falcon Lanes

**Campfire Girl** · December-11-09, 02:36 PM

I bowled at Van Dyke Lanes near Nevada and Van Dyke in the late 70s on a work league - I believe that Alley had lanes either above or below the main floor at one time. It's long gone now.

**IrishSpartan** · December-12-09, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by zitro

The bowling alley on Warren if it's eastisde it sounds like it could be part of the old Nottingham bar which had a small bowling alley inside.

The place on 7 & Van Dyke sounds like the old Falcon Lanes

No, not Falcon Lanes because that was located at the northwest corner of Outer Drive & Van Dyke. I believe a Burger King replaced the bowling alley.

**IrishSpartan** · December-12-09, 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by exmotowner

In the gay bar GiGi's on Warren, [[under their parking lot) there is an old bowling alley that has been blocked up for years. You can [[or could) still access it through the basement. does anyone know when this was a working bowling alley [[years of operation) and the name of it? I've always wondered about it. Also, Todd's Bowling Disco on 7 and VanDyke. What was the name of that and the years of operation? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Nortown Rec. was on 7 Mile just east of Van Dyke

**Whitehouse** · December-12-09, 10:52 AM

I read a story about a bus in a state like the one above. Someone checked the history of that particular bus and it turned out to be the very same bus in which Rosa Parks sat.

Edit:
I don't think it's the same bus but if I remember correct it was more or less in the same state as the bus above when the rediscovered it. It's now housed at the Henry Ford Museum, looking pristene as the first day it entered service.

Huh?

Did someone move this post here?

**lalynch** · December-12-09, 10:50 PM

I'm not a bowler but Clemente's Restaurant in Lincoln Park has a cool 4 lane bowling alley.
Fort Park Bowl is cool but I wish Bill would give some TLC to the vintage/coolness of the place. Fort Park has a lot of history because it was built by the Quandt family, of of Lincoln Park's original families, in the 1930's.

I grew up in Farmington Hills so it was Farmington Lanes where my brother would bowl in an afterschool league. And at one point we lived close to Bel-Aire Lanes. Both are gone. Farmington Lanes

**zitro** · December-14-09, 11:10 AM

This was a classic yesterday when Tom Smallwood of Saginaw a laid off GM worker got up in the tenth and needed the first one to beat "The Big Nasty" for his first title and a major. I'm sure the $50,000 first place money will make for a nice Christmas around the Smallwood home.

http://freep.com/article/20091213/BL...et-on-PBA-Tour

**12468_laing** · December-14-09, 11:33 AM

anyone have any memories of Chandler on Harper on the east side? My dad worked at Fruehauf and had his league there - women's too, and Mom bowled there. Remember the place well - 17 lanes - the league took 16, and 17 was the only one open for a bored kid waiting for his dad to finish. Spent many a Sunday after church at that place.

**slick** · December-14-09, 11:49 AM

Bowled at Chandler lanes for many years on Monday Nights.
Harper Van Dyke league.
George ran the place cannot remember his last name.

They also hosted a nine pin no tap for many years.
I ran a squad actually 3 squads filled the house for the tournament.
I came in 6th place one year, was the leader for awhile, won a thousand dollars, biggest bowling tournament payoff for my career.

Before we bowled on Mondays for a few weeks two guys would be bowling, not that good, no big name, but around 50 guys would be watching them. Rumor was they had some really high stake betting on the match. Yes, they looked Italian to me.

Used to love the 10 -16 lane bowling alleys, always run by small business men, could talk and negotiate with them. Not like the big corporate places that no one can make a decision in. oh well, bowling has changed.

**12468_laing** · December-14-09, 11:52 AM

had to be George DeSantis. I remember one guy who was bald who always worked the desk and the counter. Don't think he ever worked the bar though. This was all in the 60's till mid 70's.

**slick** · December-14-09, 01:03 PM

Yes, George DeSantis,
Hay George when does the house buy!
I think once he may have bought a round, but it was pure fun for everyone.

The league moved to Ramona Lanes. Cars were being broken into weekly at Chandler back in the mid 70's.

**Danny** · December-14-09, 01:54 PM

BOWLING LEAGUE NEWS UPDATE:

The recession cause most bowling leagues in the Metro Detroit Area to be either folded or go on with fewer teams, a 20% loss. Plus most prices on some mixed, ladies and men leagues to go up to $20.00 a game making it very expensive for anyone to bowl and participate. The recession cause most youth leagues in Metro-Detroit Area to shrink. Parents couldn't pay for their child to bowl with their teams. There's one boy I met years ago who is currently bowling at the Saturday Morning Y.A.B.A. that its team quit because most parents can't afford it. Their bills and other financial debt must be paid off right away.

The recession also hit hard on the 'cheap' bowling clubs. Most people don't want to pay over $10.00 to bowl in a those leagues. So a last attempt to gain profitability. Most bowling alleys restarted $7.00 clubs. The attendance grew very fast and its filling up on the first days.

What about your leagues? How many people are coping with this problem?

**zitro** · December-14-09, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

BOWLING LEAGUE NEWS UPDATE:

The recession cause most bowling leagues in the Metro Detroit Area to be either folded or go on with fewer teams, a 20% loss. Plus most prices on some mixed, ladies and men leagues to go up to $20.00 a game making it very expensive for anyone to bowl and participate. The recession cause most youth leagues in Metro-Detroit Area to shrink. Parents couldn't pay for their child to bowl with their teams. There's one boy I met years ago who is currently bowling at the Saturday Morning Y.A.B.A. that its team quit because most parents can't afford it. Their bills and other financial debt must be paid off right away.

The recession also hit hard on the 'cheap' bowling clubs. Most people don't want to pay over $10.00 to bowl in a those leagues. So a last attempt to gain profitability. Most bowling alleys restarted $7.00 clubs. The attendance grew very fast and its filling up on the first days.

What about your leagues? How many people are coping with this problem?

Did you mean per night for league fees.

Y.A.B.A is now the U.S.B.C Youth and was incorparated under the U.S.B.C a couple of years ago,

Where I live a few bowlers here and there have dropped out but the leagues still have the same amount of teams. In order to keep league costs down we've made adjustments to the prize funds to offset the proprietors fees increases

**Danny** · December-15-09, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by zitro

Did you mean per night for league fees.

Y.A.B.A is now the U.S.B.C Youth and was incorparated under the U.S.B.C a couple of years ago,

Where I live a few bowlers here and there have dropped out but the leagues still have the same amount of teams. In order to keep league costs down we've made adjustments to the prize funds to offset the proprietors fees increases

Y.A.B.A. initials is still present until after 2010, then it will be officially be called U.S.B.C. Youth. Other bowling leagues are proposing to lure bowlers in with MONEY. In fact Zubor Buick just recently donated $20,000 for a 5 mixed league team in Taylor Lanes every Saturday during the winter. The result the league filled up to 32 lanes. Everyone competed to win the sum of the money. If other bowling leagues can put any sum of money to lure bowlers into any league that might solve its profit and league participation problems.

Bowling alleys can't survive without bowling leagues. It's needs money to pay its bills.

**zitro** · December-15-09, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Y.A.B.A. initials is still present until after 2010, then it will be officially be called U.S.B.C. Youth. Other bowling leagues are proposing to lure bowlers in with MONEY. In fact Zubor Buick just recently donated $20,000 for a 5 mixed league team in Taylor Lanes every Saturday during the winter. The result the league filled up to 32 lanes. Everyone competed to win the sum of the money. If other bowling leagues can put any sum of money to lure bowlers into any league that might solve its profit and league participation problems.

Bowling alleys can't survive without bowling leagues. It's needs money to pay its bills.

Funny, my son just finished up his youth bowling career last year. His sanction card and any awards, certs, scholarships he's won in the last 2 years all say USBC youth not one thing mentions the YABA on it anymore.

On the bowl.com website is calls it the USBC Youth. I haven't seen the YABA logo on anything in the past 2 years do you have some examples?
http://www.bowl.com/youth/

**Danny** · December-17-09, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by zitro

Funny, my son just finished up his youth bowling career last year. His sanction card and any awards, certs, scholarships he's won in the last 2 years all say USBC youth not one thing mentions the YABA on it anymore.

On the bowl.com website is calls it the USBC Youth. I haven't seen the YABA logo on anything in the past 2 years do you have some examples?
http://www.bowl.com/youth/

The Y.A.B.A. transition is gone but the Y.A.B.A. initials remians in some products from former youth bowlers for memorabilia sake. The Y.A.B.A. is now U.S.B.C. Youth leagues after 2007. The Y.A.B.A. intials will be officially gone by fall of 2010.

**markv** · December-23-09, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by 12468_laing

anyone have any memories of Chandler on Harper on the east side? My dad worked at Fruehauf and had his league there - women's too, and Mom bowled there. Remember the place well - 17 lanes - the league took 16, and 17 was the only one open for a bored kid waiting for his dad to finish. Spent many a Sunday after church at that place.

I also worked for Fruehauf [[1975-1985) and bowled in their bowling leagues at Chandler Lanes. My last night of bowling in the league was the Championship roll-off and I had parked my car on Harper where it was broken into while I was bowling. Who were your Mom and Dad. I am sure I would have known them. There were several couples that bowled in the leagues that I remember. [[Andrea and Mark, Laurie and Al, Cheryl and Claude, - Mark V

Cass1966 · December-26-09, 09:23 AM

I remember bowling with the Cub Scouts in the late 50's at the old Mt. Eliott Lanes. It was on Mt. Eliott just north of Nevada I think. Google maps street view shows a building at that corner on the east side which looks like a bowling alley. I believe it was 35Â¢ per game. Happy times.

**slick** · December-26-09, 12:50 PM

cass1966

Mt Elliot lanes was between Nevada and Davison. The building still stand as a machine shop. Closed some time in the 1970's. Remember bowling there on a Sunday morning league in the 70's. Lane 10 next to the poles was the worst in the city. that lane was NOT smooth. oh well if you could bowl there other places seemed like palaces.