Post by Zoo Master on Jul 25, 2010 17:56:34 GMT -5
I received this last year but just found it now... zoo
It is hard to believe the amount of action bowling that took place in the New York metropolitan area back in the 1960s and 1970s. It was everywhere. I do remember the large number of bowling establishments in Westchester County, New York alone. I remember Elmsford Lanes, Sky Top Bowling, Brunswick Yonkers Bowl, Post Bowling Academy. There was a small bowling center in Dobbs Ferry, New York called Scappy's. They had just 12 lanes. It featured Brunswick "JetBack" A pinsetters, surface ball returns, no automatic scoring. They added bumper bowling in the 1980s. It was one of the last vintage bowling establishments in Westchester County, New York. All of these bowling centers are now memory. Scappy's was however, the last of its kind to close in Westchester County, New York. It still sported wooden lanes and they never installed 1980s, 1990s, era masking units. It closed in September 2001, 9 days after 9/11. Perhaps the best example of a bowling alley in my area that still has a little bit of it's early heritage is Homefield Bowl in Yonkers, New York. Though they have synthetic lanes, they still have their Brunswick "JetBack: A pinsetters. Even the occasional pin sweep (rake) will sport a late 1950s or early 1960s era Brunswick in script lettering on a gold background. Like many bowling centers today, it has plenty of modern trappings. There is automatic scoring, modern masking units, modern ball returns and air conditioning. The center itself is probably around 50 years old. It is certainly a survivor. There are a few other bowling centers that remain in Westchester County, New York.
It would be interesting if some entrepreneur(s) would be interested in building a new bowling center in Westchester County, New York. Many defunct bowling establishments have become retail stores and with the current economic situation, it might be a more attractive to invest in a bowling alley than retail stores. With a few exceptions, many retail stores can go out of business in a short time where as a bowling alley has at least a 30 year service life. This life can be extended by proper maintenance and overhauling equipment. Many bowling centers can probably last 50 years or more. Perhaps developers should consider putting in bowling centers in place of retail buildings that have outlived their usefulness.
Jeff Alterman
It is hard to believe the amount of action bowling that took place in the New York metropolitan area back in the 1960s and 1970s. It was everywhere. I do remember the large number of bowling establishments in Westchester County, New York alone. I remember Elmsford Lanes, Sky Top Bowling, Brunswick Yonkers Bowl, Post Bowling Academy. There was a small bowling center in Dobbs Ferry, New York called Scappy's. They had just 12 lanes. It featured Brunswick "JetBack" A pinsetters, surface ball returns, no automatic scoring. They added bumper bowling in the 1980s. It was one of the last vintage bowling establishments in Westchester County, New York. All of these bowling centers are now memory. Scappy's was however, the last of its kind to close in Westchester County, New York. It still sported wooden lanes and they never installed 1980s, 1990s, era masking units. It closed in September 2001, 9 days after 9/11. Perhaps the best example of a bowling alley in my area that still has a little bit of it's early heritage is Homefield Bowl in Yonkers, New York. Though they have synthetic lanes, they still have their Brunswick "JetBack: A pinsetters. Even the occasional pin sweep (rake) will sport a late 1950s or early 1960s era Brunswick in script lettering on a gold background. Like many bowling centers today, it has plenty of modern trappings. There is automatic scoring, modern masking units, modern ball returns and air conditioning. The center itself is probably around 50 years old. It is certainly a survivor. There are a few other bowling centers that remain in Westchester County, New York.
It would be interesting if some entrepreneur(s) would be interested in building a new bowling center in Westchester County, New York. Many defunct bowling establishments have become retail stores and with the current economic situation, it might be a more attractive to invest in a bowling alley than retail stores. With a few exceptions, many retail stores can go out of business in a short time where as a bowling alley has at least a 30 year service life. This life can be extended by proper maintenance and overhauling equipment. Many bowling centers can probably last 50 years or more. Perhaps developers should consider putting in bowling centers in place of retail buildings that have outlived their usefulness.
Jeff Alterman