  Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2008 |
Hi, would love to hear about old bowling centers you may have bowled in in the 60's 70's or 80's. Pictures of them would be great! 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 pictures he gave me, click this link http://www.wayne-bowl.com/amba ssadorlanes.jpg | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3164 Registered: 08-2007 |
Welcome to the forum Bowldetroit! I knew there was a thread about Detroit Bowling Alleys on here before. I found it under HOF (Hall of Fame). It's about a third of the way down the column. There are good stories and pictures ready and waiting for you to read! Enjoy. | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 1951 Registered: 10-2003 |
Was the Majestic the first bowling alley in Detroit or the US for that matter or have I heard wrong? Anyone know the truth? And yes, Im to lazy to scroll through the HOF. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 591 Registered: 08-2007 |
Liked the old thread about Detroit Bowling Alleys, Bowled at Oakwood Lanes loved how you could see the ball return above the lanes. Thanks Bowldetroit for reminding me that i need to go bowling again with the family. | ||
Detroit_signal Member Username: Detroit_signal Post Number: 56 Registered: 02-2007 |
Trying to find the name of a place that a friend of mine used to set pins at during the 1940s or earlier. Was near St. Jean and Mack across the street from a theater and a pool hall. The bowling alley had no frontage on Mack. You would have to walk down an alleyway to the building. Thanks | ||
Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 3 Registered: 09-2008 |
Here are some pics of my basement: http://www.wayne-bowl.com/base menteight.jpg http://www.wayne-bowl.com/base mentfive.jpg http://www.wayne-bowl.com/base mentone.jpg http://www.wayne-bowl.com/base mentten.jpg http://www.wayne-bowl.com/base menttwo.jpg | ||
Detroit_signal Member Username: Detroit_signal Post Number: 57 Registered: 02-2007 |
Go to bed Jim. Joe | ||
Detroit_signal Member Username: Detroit_signal Post Number: 58 Registered: 02-2007 |
Hey Jim, where's that sweep bar I painted blue for you?? Still got it? | ||
Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2008 |
Yep, still have it Joe | ||
Detroit_signal Member Username: Detroit_signal Post Number: 59 Registered: 02-2007 |
If we get new machines in the next year or so, maybe we'll set you up with an entire 8230 machine, LOL! | ||
Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2008 |
Joe, just for you. Just took this http://www.wayne-bowl.com/swee p.jpg | ||
Detroit_signal Member Username: Detroit_signal Post Number: 60 Registered: 02-2007 |
I wish we still had those things, but thay are heavy and NOISY. | ||
Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 6 Registered: 09-2008 |
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Bowldetroit Member Username: Bowldetroit Post Number: 7 Registered: 09-2008 |
I didn't realize how many centers there were till I posted this...and how many I remember! | ||
Jcole Member Username: Jcole Post Number: 3812 Registered: 04-2005 |
My mom bowled at Fantasy on 7 Mile and Hayes for many years. Some of the best pizza in the world too. | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 481 Registered: 07-2006 |
Bowldetroit, your basement is awesome. While I have not had a chance to bowl regularly in about nine years, I still follow the PBA very closely, and have loved going to the U.S. Open for the past 3-4 years. I love bowling, and hope to bowl in a league one day. I love the old masking unit, and the old bowling bag signed by Dick Weber. That's classic. | ||
Wanderinglady Member Username: Wanderinglady Post Number: 104 Registered: 10-2007 |
Looking at the old Yellow Pages listings, I remember bowling at WY-7, State Fair, Palm Beach and Northlanes. I belonged to the Benedictine High School bowling club, which bowled at Redford Lanes. And of course Thunderbowl Lanes was the home of "Bowling For Dollars"! As an aside, the last time I bowled was six years ago in (of all places) Nice, France. Who knew there was a bowling alley on the French Riviera? And it had a pretty good crowd as well. | ||
Grumpyoldlady Member Username: Grumpyoldlady Post Number: 234 Registered: 06-2005 |
Fantasy was where I bowled when in high school. Remember Ronnie that worked the counter? I dated Ken, one of the guys that worked in the back with the automatic pinsetters. If he and I were bowling, and our lane pinsetter malfunctioned, he would just walk down the ridge between the lanes and crawl under the machine to get in back and fix it. Easier than walking down to the end and using the walkway to the back. I was always scared the machine would cycle and he'd be crushed. I also bowled at Denby, East Warren, Ritter, Harper Rec, and in the burbs, Continental. | ||
Zitro Member Username: Zitro Post Number: 1967 Registered: 04-2008 |
Grumpy: What years are you talking about? I bowled there in the 60's up to the mid seventies. I remember Tim Littlefield and Fred Denryter were the main mechanics there. Were the owners the Maige's or Macks when you bowled at Fantasy? | ||
Elimarr Member Username: Elimarr Post Number: 78 Registered: 09-2007 |
The phone book listing above is missing C thru' F, so I'm glad someone mentioned Fantasy Lanes. Those lanes were well maintained. I'll add Falcon Lanes (O. Drive & V. Dyke) which I know is remembered for also having Gino's Show Bar and later for having a rock show or two back in the day. Motor City Lanes used to be at 8 Mile and Sherwood (technically Warren,) and was a good place to get pizza by the slice too. Now help--what was the name of the bowling alley on Woodward, south of 6 Mile? In Highland Park I think. Anybody? Bowling in France? Wonder if it's commonplace in Europe. I do know more than one touring British band that fancied some bowling while on tour here, because they thought it was such an American thing to do! | ||
Jimb Member Username: Jimb Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2008 |
Started out at Grandmont Lanes on GR a few blocks east of Southfield. They were the first ones around that I knew of to have Pong back in 73! The Grandway Bar on GR and Rutherford had a tiny little alley in it, but I think they stopped using the lanes by the early 70s - never did bowl there, it was right around the block from our house. Also went to Great Lakes occasionally, on Greenfield south of 8 Mile just south of Northland, and Redford Lanes eventually, later on Satellite on Michigan and Holiday Bowl on Schaefer and the one on Schoolcraft near Inkster whose name escapes me at the moment. | ||
Zitro Member Username: Zitro Post Number: 1970 Registered: 04-2008 |
Maple Lanes Matches  | ||
Zitro Member Username: Zitro Post Number: 1971 Registered: 04-2008 |
Eastland and Falcon  | ||
Jgavrile Member Username: Jgavrile Post Number: 206 Registered: 09-2005 |
There use to be a bowling alley on 6 mile on the north side just East of Woodward. Log Cabin bowling. In Highland Park, there was a bowling alley on Labelle,across from Fromm's hardware. Further South ,near Grand Blvd. there use to be Red Mill. Big place on the second floor,as I remember. | ||
Originalg313 Member Username: Originalg313 Post Number: 21 Registered: 08-2008 |
My brothers bowled at Lucky Strike on Grand River just east of W. Grand Blvd. And, at Warren Bowl Lanes on W. Warren and Central (listed in the Yellow Pages above.) | ||
Mortalman Member Username: Mortalman Post Number: 259 Registered: 03-2007 |
Hey, Bowldetroit are those Yellow Pages current or from an old book? If old what year? | ||
Catman_dude Member Username: Catman_dude Post Number: 303 Registered: 03-2006 |
I mainly bowled at the western suburbs' lanes. Westland Bowl was my favorite. I've bowled at Town and Country Lanes, Fiesta Lanes, Wonderland Lanes, Cherry Hill Lanes, some old bowling center in Redford, and the Mayflower. My first bowling game was a 50 at Garden Lanes on Warren Road. All of this during the 1970s. (Message edited by catman_dude on September 18, 2008) | ||
Elimarr Member Username: Elimarr Post Number: 80 Registered: 09-2007 |
Jgavrile, Red Mill does not sound familiar. I really cannot remember how far down Woodward it was...could have been near G. Blvd. (or Milwaukee, maybe) but ON Woodward and I think the name began with a "C" which is why the phone list above didn't seem to have it. Anyone else remember bowling there? (Message edited by elimarr on September 18, 2008) | ||
Zitro Member Username: Zitro Post Number: 1975 Registered: 04-2008 |
Mortalman: Just judging from the phone numbers I'd say it's a safe bet it dates back quite a while, plus the fact most these places have either been sold or suspiciously burned down. | ||
Davemarc Member Username: Davemarc Post Number: 69 Registered: 06-2008 |
my buddy from high school's dad owned Falcon lanes,That was in the late eightys early ninties. |
