This bowling alley became one of my "must see" spots the second I saw a photo of it. I did Saturday morning bowling when I was a kid and was even on the bowling team in high school. It's the only "sport" I've ever been even halfway good at. I have come across a few bowling alleys tucked away in abandoned buildings, but never anything as complete as this.
Judging by the decor I would guess this alley was constructed sometime in the 40s as it has a very Art Deco look to it and has been essentially unchanged since then. Being that this building sits on a large and partially active campus makes it a bit tricky to access. Which has kept the idiots away, but also posed a challenge for us. Especially since there was five of us and we ended up here on a Monday. The last day of a four day exploring roadtrip.
The building we wanted sits directly next to several active ones, where over 100 people are employed. Luckily I had some good intel from a friend who had been there quite recently. Even with this intel it was probably sheer luck that we did not get caught at some point during this little adventure. We had to duck out of sight on multiple occasions as employees walked through the nearby parking lot and the only way to get to the POE was to walk in plain sight for about 25 yards, hoping no one happened to be looking in that direction.
If that wasn't bad enough we learned just as we were about to leave that a worker had been in the same building as us for likely the entire time we were inside.
Luckily we got in and out undetected.
For me the risk was worth the reward in this case. I could explore the rest of my life and never find another bowling alley as beautiful and intact as this one.
I will post my shots from the alley first then end off with some of the rest of the building, which although mainly empty, still had some pretty interesting things to see.
Time Capsule Alley
I can feel it
Coming in the air tonight
Gotta Clean Out the Gutter
Got a ball that's smooth and black
Keep it in my favorite ball sack
Art Deco Lanes
Ball's Eye View
Strikes and gutters, ups and downs
Pocket Shot
Please don't call me a pinhead
Behind the Scenes
It Was a Banner Year
Nothin But Net
Special K
The Game is Staged
If only I could find the damn exit....
March to Your Own Beat
Let's Twist Again