 
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6525
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 9:30 am: |    |
I used to bowl at Crown Lanes/Esquire Lanes on Plymouth Rd. just west of Southfield FWY. It's was mom and pop white owned until the 80s when the ownership was transfered to black owned. By 1993 the place was closed down, looted, abandoned and later town down in 1999 now a vacant lot.
Rocket Lanes on Schoolcraft Rd. west of Evergreen Rd. is now a Church.
The Bowling alley/drug store on Fenkell Rd. west of Evergreen was closed in late 80s now just a drug store.
Silver Lanes on Middlebelt Rd. near Ford Rd. in Garden City has been closed since late 1990s. Now a bar and grill named Albert's on the Alley.
Schaefer Lanes on Schaefer Rd. just south of Tireman St. was mom and pop white owned until the 1980s when it was tranfered to black ownership. The bowling alley was competing against Mercury Lanes next door. But unfortunately Schaefer Lanes couldn't keep up with the competition so it closed down in late 1990s. Some Arab guy brought the lot, torn the bowling alley down and build a strip mall.
Holiday Bowl was located on Schaefer Rd. just north of Ford Rd. in Dearborn it was mom and pop white owned until some Arabs came in, offered the price of the building, brought it, closed the lanes down and covert it into The Islamic Institute of Knowledge with an EVIL charter school called Riverside Academy.
The bowling alley on the corner of W. 7 Mile Rd. and Lasher has been closed down since the mid 1990s now a U.S. Postal Office. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 38
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 9:50 am: | |
Dang shame what's happened to Detroit's bowling establishments.
Oh Hell......"dang shame", in reference to just about anything concerning Detroit, is seemingly a requisite part of sentence structure.
At any rate...Schaefer Lanes was a nice place to bowl. Crown Lanes too; it was a favorite place to have fun for Brooks Junior High, and Cody High School students
I seem to remember quite a few churches in Detroit/Dearborn with a lane or two in the basement. |
Catman_dude
Member
Username: Catman_dude
Post Number: 215
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 12:18 pm: | |
Danny, thanks for the info on Silver Lanes in Garden City. The last time I was in Detroit area in 2004, I tried to take a look at Silver Lanes but the back entrance...well, I couldn't figure it out how I ended up in a bar. I figured it must have closed.
My bowling alley haunts were Westland Bowl on Wayne Road near Ford Road in Westland; Town and Country Lanes further down Wayne Road; Fiesta Bowl on Ford going toward Canton; Cherry Hill Lanes (I think) on ...forgot; Wonderland Lanes in Livonia on Plymouth Road; and my first bowling game (a 50) was at Garden Lanes (Bowl?) on Warren Road near Middlebelt in Garden City. |
Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard
Post Number: 3968
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 12:34 pm: | |
The one and only bowling trophy of mine was won when I spent the summer in Dearborn in 1958. The lanes were on Schaefer somewhere near Michigan on the west side of the street--probably the bowling alley that Danny mentioned. Our two-man (boy, actually) team missed the first week and started in last place but got to second place before the last series and took first after I bowled four strikes in a row in the ninth and tenth frames (rare for me). We were about 25 points down (from gaining first overall) after the eighth frame and just barely won that league.
I was a nervous 15-year old but didn't melt then. That was a fun time. Too bad those small bowling alleys are all gone, but it was hard for them and the small theaters to compete with TV.
OTOH, John-one of two uncles who owned the Dearborn Cozy Corner at Lois--was a 200+ average bowler and would often get his name in the papers when they used to report the high series scores from all those weekly bowling leagues. |
Stinger4me
Member
Username: Stinger4me
Post Number: 45
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 12:36 pm: | |
Anybody remember a bowling alley on the east side of Mt. Elliot just north of Davison? Must be having a senior moment. |
Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg
Post Number: 1184
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 1:04 pm: | |
The Shorpy.com photo blog is currently running an interesting series of 1909 photos of pinboys setting pins in east coast bowling alleys. |
Whithorn11446
Member
Username: Whithorn11446
Post Number: 145
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 3:12 pm: | |
"Anybody remember a bowling alley on the east side of Mt. Elliot just north of Davison? Must be having a senior moment."
No, its not your mind playing tricks. Mt. Elliott Rec. was over there. |
Quozl
Member
Username: Quozl
Post Number: 1439
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 3:25 pm: | |
There was a pretty nice bowling alley over on Grand River east of Southfield that we went to as kids. By the time I was in high school it was a great place to pick up MILF's from Rosedale Park or Grandmont on school days if you were playin' hooky. |
Fury13
Member
Username: Fury13
Post Number: 2373
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 3:31 pm: | |
"Normally, someone would have to go to a bowling alley to meet someone of your stature." |
Dave70
Member
Username: Dave70
Post Number: 20
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 6:59 pm: | |
Hm, I was in a few leagues at Denby Lanes when I was a pre-teen in the earlier '80s.
I remember seeing the owner playing chess a lot with another guy, they used a clock. Guess it was speed chess.
Denby Lanes burned down in the later 80s right?
I did play a Maple Lanes too when I was older, in high school. I think I bowled my best game there, 206 or 209 perhaps. hehe |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6526
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 7:28 pm: | |
Redford Bowl on Grand River Ave. and Lasher was a great to bowl. Family fun and great leagues until financial problems course the lanes to close for good, now vacant.
There are three bowling lanes left in Detroit. Garden Bowl, Rennaisance Bowl (formally State Fair Lanes) and Harper Recreation Lanes. The rest of the bowling lanes are in the suburbs.
African American competitive bowling leagues are very extremely popular. They can fill up large leagues in a instant due to all the huge jackpots up to thousands of dollars. The lanes have extremely popular black bowling leagues are Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. Royal Lanes and Bronco Lanes in Warren, Cloverlanes in Livonia, Mayflower Lanes in Redford TWP and Hazel Park Bowl in Hazel Park.
Italian Restaurant owner now state rep. Ed Clemente opened up his 6 lanes bowling alley in Lincoln Park. It's extremely popular with leagues every nights.
Satellite Lanes on Michigan Ave. and Gully Rd. in Dearborn Heights was the largest bowling alley in the metro Detroit area with 128 lanes in the north side and 128 lanes in the south side. Then the executives from Home Depot came in, brought the lot, torn the bowling lanes down and build the big box store.
The Hamtramck Classic, The Detroit Electrotypes and the Sweetest Heart of Mary are the oldest bowling leagues in the Metro Detroit area. and they are still going strong. |
Catman_dude
Member
Username: Catman_dude
Post Number: 216
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 9:54 pm: | |
Satellite Lanes had 256 bowling lanes? You got to be kidding! I've lived in Detroit area for over 20 years and I have never heard of such a large bowling center. And I was a bowling fanatic then. I thought Thunderbird (or was it Thunderbowl?) has something like 80 or 90 lanes and I thought that was the largest center around. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6530
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 5:10 am: | |
Catman_dude,
NO! Thunderbowl Lanes was the second largest bowling alley in the Metro-Detroit area. After Satellite Lanes was torn down, Thunderbowl Lanes is now the biggest. |
Catman_dude
Member
Username: Catman_dude
Post Number: 217
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 7:53 am: | |
I would have loved to see what 128 lanes side by side looked like. I never knew Satellite was that big or else I would have gone over there just to see it. Satellite must have had multiple counters to handle it all. Were they AMF or Brunswick lanes? I wonder if there were any pictures of the place. Did it cost too much to update the 256 lanes to today's standards? Why did Satellite close? |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6535
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 12:06 pm: | |
Catman_dude,
The Lanes in Satellite Lanes are very big on both sides. It had a mini malls, pro shops, bars, family fun pizzarias, arcades and lots of rental halls. It held a lot of bowling tournaments and competitive ABC and WIBC bowling leagues, both worldly, church and of course the PBA tours. The only AMF owned bowling leagues in Metro Detroit area is called Rose Bowl Lanes in Roseville, MI. Like I have written to everyone. The corporate executives from Home Depot bought the place and the lot, torn the bowling alley down and build their big box store. Go see it for yourself. The former Satellite Lanes is located on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Gulley Rd. in Dearborn Heights. |
Quozl
Member
Username: Quozl
Post Number: 1453
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 1:17 pm: | |
Cloverlanes Bowl - Livonia - loads of lanes - clean and safe enviorment. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6537
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 1:25 pm: | |
Quozl,
Actually Cloverlanes can get a bit rowdy when those African American leagues pop in. In a matter of fact there was a shooting incident at the eastern parking lot back in October of 2004. The Livonia Police had to come to the bowling alley and close it down for the night. |
Quozl
Member
Username: Quozl
Post Number: 1455
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 1:30 pm: | |
Ah come on Danny, those African American leagues just want to have fun and party, nothing wrong with that. That Livonia cop shop is just too uptight and outtasight with visitors that do not meet their specs. |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 162
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 6:51 pm: | |
country club of detroit has a few lanes, nice bathrooms too. just put the tab on friends parents account |
Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg
Post Number: 1186
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 11:04 pm: | |
quote:Satellite Lanes had 256 bowling lanes? You got to be kidding!
If he's not kidding, he is wildly exaggerating.
I never stepped foot in the place, but by scaling a 1981 DTE aerial photo of the property, I'm willing to bet that the place had a total of 80 lanes arranged in two rows of 40 lanes each.
A regulation bowling lane is about 5.5 ft. wide and about 100 foot long. From the aerial photo, the width of the building appears to be about 25 parking spaces wide. A typical parking space is about 9.0 ft. wide, therefore the width of the building is about 225 ft., which is the equivalent width of 40 bowling lanes. The building has two areas that are that same width and the depth of each scales out to be about 120 ft.
Here is a cropped version of the aerial photo. The alleys are arranged side-by-side, left to right. One group of 40 lanes are under the whitish roof area and the other group of 40 lanes are under the darker striped roof area.
(Message edited by Mikeg on September 19, 2007) |
Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg
Post Number: 1187
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 11:40 pm: | |
Looking at this DTE aerial photo taken on May 24, 1961, you can see that an addition was being built to contain the second set of 40 lanes on the south side of the building. The expanded Satellite Lanes bowling center would have had all 80 lanes ready for the 1961 fall leagues.
|
Reddog289
Member
Username: Reddog289
Post Number: 8
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 2:06 am: | |
i love the fact that the home depot is less than 10min from my house,yet it would be better to go bowling at sattilite lanes.i ,m lucky i got at least 5 bowling alleys within 15 min of me. |
Catman_dude
Member
Username: Catman_dude
Post Number: 218
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 7:45 am: | |
Thanks, Mikeg! I thought I had missed out on the world's largest bowling center in my own back yard! Tokyo World Lanes Center was the world's largest at 252 lanes but it is now closed. I don't know if that was continuous lanes or broken up into sections.
It would have been quite a sight to see 128 continuous lanes, more than twice the size of my hometown favorite Westland Bowl at 60 lanes. There's nothing like bowling in a full house of crashing pins.
Back to Satellite Bowl, where would the "mini malls, pro shops, bars, family fun pizzarias, arcades and lots of rental halls" go in that SATELLITE (pun intended) picture? |
Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg
Post Number: 1189
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 8:11 am: | |
quote:where would the "mini malls, pro shops, bars, family fun pizzarias, arcades and lots of rental halls" go in that SATELLITE (pun intended) picture?
Hmmm, now you've got me thinking again.
Maybe since this was happening at the height of the "cold war", the proprietors of Satellite Bowl decided to put those amenities in an underground bunker where they would be safe from prying "eyes in the sky".
Then all the "hip cool skinny jean white kids" would have an "underground hang-out" place to go to.
But if that's the case, maybe there was even another underground level where they had another 176 bowling lanes?
Wow, this is a toughie.... who do I want to believe, Danny or the DTE aerial photos? |
Livernoisyard
Member
Username: Livernoisyard
Post Number: 3979
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 9:42 am: | |
Common sense would mean that there would have to be parking space for all the extra bowlers of those (missing) lanes. Plus a helluva a lot of bowlers themselves to support such a huge place in an era of declining bowling and bowlers since the 1950s.
I vote that the high number of lanes there is nonsense. |
Mikefive
Member
Username: Mikefive
Post Number: 22
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 10:35 am: | |
Satellite bowl had 128 lanes. |
Catman_dude
Member
Username: Catman_dude
Post Number: 221
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 10:54 am: | |
Last year's thread on bowling alleys, someone pasted the phone book listings of bowling centers. In there, Satellite Bowl's yellow pages advertisement said there were 84 bowling lanes. |
Goblue
Member
Username: Goblue
Post Number: 375
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 7:35 pm: | |
Detroit always has been a cold beer and a warm bowling ball kind of town. My dad carried a 220 average in the DPD league back in the '40's. |
Eastside61
Member
Username: Eastside61
Post Number: 265
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 11:10 pm: | |
The classic BAlley was East Warren - a rockin' place on wednesday nights and the weekends, too...When the bar would close at 2 AM there was this guy from the neightborhood....Gene T or something that would bowl till about four in the morning with one or both of the Hennick sisters....what a guy....I think he went into education after a stint as a Football helmet designer.... |
Viziondetroit
Member
Username: Viziondetroit
Post Number: 1114
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 8:55 pm: | |
Gistok,
Was the Harmonie club what later became Centre Street Pub? That is now Grand Central Lounge (http://www.grandcentrallounge. com/) and if you go on the dancefloor you can still see lane arrows on the floor. I will take some photos when I am thre next month for a party. I always wondered about that. |
Donnie
Member
Username: Donnie
Post Number: 3
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, September 21, 2007 - 10:20 am: | |
First bowled at Ritter's Bowling Alley off Chalmers near six mile. They had great pizza too. Bowled there thru
a school league from Wayne elementary in the mid 70's. |
Paczki
Member
Username: Paczki
Post Number: 34
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 10:45 am: | |
We bowled in a Tuesday night womens league on the second floor at Playdium Lanes in Hamtramck. Chet was the best bartender in the world. At Christmas one of our fans was a little old man from the neighborhood who would bring in a box of Sydney Bogg chocolates for every team in the league. The bowling tournament of choice was the Citizens Classic. |
Exmotowner
Member
Username: Exmotowner
Post Number: 408
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 10:50 am: | |
Anyone ever bowl in the bowling alley that is now under GiGi's parking lot on Warren? Just wondering. You can still (or could) acess it from the basement of GiGi's. Last time I was able to look in there Tony Garneau still was alive. and the lanes were still set up and the table and chairs were still set up. Was just wondering when this was a true bowling alley and the history before GiGi's. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 5955
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 12:24 pm: | |
I haven't bowled in ages and then someone told me that the old Garden Bowl in the Majestic Complex was a pretty nice location to go bowl. They told me that the facilities were pretty nice and they even had "radar guns" there to tell you the speed in which you're throwing the balls now. Is that something new? I don't recall seeing those things when I bowled as a kid. |
Detroitrise
Member
Username: Detroitrise
Post Number: 25
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 5:08 pm: | |
Actually, someone else who went bowling told me tha the Garden Bowl was down right ghetto and filled with homeless people. |
9936sussex
Member
Username: 9936sussex
Post Number: 70
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 5:49 pm: | |
My first bowling experience was at a bowling alley located on Plymouth Road somewhere close to Hubbell (which would be between Greenfield & Schaefer). A group of us would bowl on Saturday mornings (non-league) and then get lunch at a lunchette/diner a block or two from there on Plymouth. It was great fun for an 11-12 year old. |
Slick
Member
Username: Slick
Post Number: 6
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 06, 2008 - 1:20 pm: | |
Paczki,
Chet was a great fellow, still alive around 85 years old. I still see his son occasionally. Playdium was the greatest place to bowl. The second floor vibrated from the bowling machines. The tournament was great till it moved to Hazel Park. How can the Hamtramck Classic be in Hazel Park?????
I bowled in the Thursday night Junior house league. Playdium is now a Rally burger. Falcon lanes, Van dyke and Outer Drive is a McDonalds. Mt Elliot lanes is a factory. any one remember Chene and Trombley Lanes, another 2 floor establishment. 10 down and 20 lanes up?? How about a ten pin special at the restaurant. |
Omaha
Member
Username: Omaha
Post Number: 114
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Friday, February 08, 2008 - 9:26 am: | |
Detroit took a back seat to no one when it came to bowling. We turned out some great teams.
In the late '50 I learned to bowl at the Whittier Lanes on E. Jefferson, next to Detroit Turners. I can remember, it sometimes seemed hard to breathe though because of all the cigar and cigarette smoke back in the day.
What a hoot, luck and not skill was on my side, I once got a trophy for the lowest series in a kids tournament. I guess there were folks worried about "egos" and "self-image" back that far. Who'd a thought?
But bowling stuck with me. I managed to get all the way up to a 165 average in a couple of leagues after moving to Nebraska. In these leagues, the emphasis was on socializing rather than competition so my low average wasn't a problem. |
Bowldetroit
Member
Username: Bowldetroit
Post Number: 8
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 11:10 pm: | |
I bowled as a kid at Ambassador Lanes, which later was Argyle Bowl. I bowled at Ambassador from about 1965-1969. It was sold in 1970 and became the Argyle and was subsequently torched by the new owners around 1982. I recently found the proprietor of Ambassador Lanes, Bud Massoll. He is 91 and looks great. His late wife Virginia was my youth coach. He gave me an article from the 1940 Modern Bowler, showing the inside and outside of Ambassador. It was built by his dad in 1938. There is a velvet curtain covering the pit area. He told me the letters that spelled AMBASSADOR were individually hung letters. He had some great stories and has a nice scrapbook of his bowling career. I was pretty excited to find him after all these years. My basement is a bowling shrine and I work for a chain of 4 bowling centers in the metro Detroit area. To see the scan of the center click this link.
http://www.wayne-bowl.com/amba ssadorlanes.jpg |
12468_laing
Member
Username: 12468_laing
Post Number: 197
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008 - 9:10 pm: | |
i have a shot glass from back in the day with Eddie Pawl's Detroit etched on one side and Thunderbowl Allen Park etched on the other side. |
Bowldetroit
Member
Username: Bowldetroit
Post Number: 20
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Monday, September 22, 2008 - 1:17 pm: | |
Rocket Lanes on Schoolcraft and Evergreen used to be Bowlcraft years before. Pro bowler and Stroh's team member Mike Totsky owned it then |
Funjon1
Member
Username: Funjon1
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - 6:55 pm: | |
Remember the bowling alley on Harper between Moross and Vernier? Was named DuMichelles or something like that. It's now the Harper Woods Community Center.What about Fantasy Lanes on 7Mile west of Hayes. Good pizza! Burned down years ago. |
Tarkus
Member
Username: Tarkus
Post Number: 602
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 2:34 pm: | |
It looks like Shore Crest Lanes on Harper at 9 mile has closed up. The sign says " Thanks for the many years and memories". |
Eastsidedame
Member
Username: Eastsidedame
Post Number: 647
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 2:12 pm: | |
Over at the Polonia thread we started talking about the Chene-Trombley Bowl, and I found out it was NOT the bowling alley my dad set pins at as a kid in the late 20s/early 30s. Could it have been the PLAYDIUM, perhaps? My dad had Alzheimer's in his later years, so I couldn't ask him about it. Maybe you can help me figure out which one it might have been. |
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