This deco-looking building was located at Montrose and Sheridan, where the parking lot of the Jewel is now located. It housed several small businesses, including Top This Italian Beef, and a 30-lane bowling alley. At the far right, you can see the Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Image courtesy HAARGIS.
16 comments:
I've been waiting years to see this corner as it was! Thanks again, brilliant blogger. :)
Isn't it amazing how urban and filled in the corner looked that way? I am not fond of parking lots, strip malls, and so on. This is the way it should still look, IMHO.
I agree Jeff. I don't think suburban shopping models belong in the city. My dad worked at a smaller version of the Andersonville Jewel in the sixties and they didn't need massive parking lots back then. I'm not sure when this started to happen. The seventies maybe?
I'm able to walk to Jewel (Broadway and Montrose) but there is really no good and safe way to walk from Broadway to the store. You have to watch for cars at all times. If that lot had been developed with Jewel and the gym (or its predecessor) out on the street, with parking inside, above, below--or not as much of it--I think we'd have a much more welcoming corner. No need for fences that way either!
That whole complex, including Pensacola Place, was built in the late 70's and early 80's. If you watch "The Hunter" from 1980 you can see it under construction.
You need the parking given current preferences, however, it could have been built underground and there could be more units above.
What cities need is density. This kind of development partially works against that.
thanks for the pic of Top This & the Bowlium. Top This used to have the best Italian Beef sandwich around...
Wow, this really brings back memories. We used to bowl there all the time. Most excllent old fashioned popcorn machine inside. I can still smell it. Used to get hot dogs across the street and was there when I heard that the Beatles broke up.
I spent many years at the Bowlium,there was a beautiful mural along lane 1,that went the length of the lane, yes I knew the owner of that popcorn machine also, and the owner of Top This, the best beef sandwich on the northside, yes also Jake who owns Pup in the Ruf across the street, also the Time In Lounge that had a great pantomine show. That was one hopping corner from the 50's thru 70's. I really miss those days.
I remember the hum of that machine as it poured popcorn down into a paper bag you held around a spout and a little gate at the end of it. The food and places you all mentioned I remember. On many occasions I would tell my kids about the old neighborhood and the things we used to do and how if we needed anything or wanted to do something it was all within walking distance.
The bowlium being one of them.
Al
What happened to the Bowlium? Did the building burn down? That corner was a vacant lot for many years. A traveling carnival was set up there every summer from 1974-1977. So what happened to the building?
Helsings bowl arama even had a restaurant, night club attached..
George Gobels started out there..
Bill Matteson
Helsings bowl arama even had a restaurant, night club attached..
George Gobels started out there..
Bill Matteson
Found a Trib article dated Dec 21, 1941 that says "BOWLIUM HOLDS FORMAL OPENING FOR FOUR DAYS." The bowling alley had actually opened in October, but this was to mark the related opening of "Helsing's Vodvil Lounge" being run in conjunction with the alley.
Another article dated Nov 28, 1948 says "Georgie Gobel will head new Helsing's show."
Finally an article on Nov 15, 1975 by columnist Will Leonard who was interviewing Gobel at the North Shore Hilton. Gobel stated he did 22 shows a week for 16 week runs at the Vodvil Lounge. Leonard told him that the site of the old Vodvil, SE corner of Sheridan & Montrose, was now a vacant lot. Gobel, he said, did not seem too surprised.
My family loved bowling there. In the middle to late 50's many houses still hadn't converted to automatic pins. The Bowlium was a big house for it's time, having 30 lanes fully automatic.It cost 35 cents to bowl a line, and 30cents if u had a B.P A. card. Shoe rental was ten cents.The Bowlium had a reputation for being a tough house to score in.There was rarely a three hundred game shot, or a seven hundred series bowled.Lanes 23-24- 25-26 were supposedly the preferred lanes.The Bowlium had some great league play, including a Sat. morning bantam and junior league. Buddy Bomars son Bobby shot in the junior league. Carmen Salvino who was an up and comer could be seen there as well as other local pros.I learned to eat fries on my burgers in the restaurant located in the corner front of the building. I moved to Fl. before they tore it down.My folks were saddened by the loss of the lanes, and found it difficult bowling in other houses. Nothing matched up to this house.Just holds so many great memories for me. Jerry LEON. ps My dad bowled 706 scratch there, and I have his plack hanging on my wall.
thanks for the pic of Top This & the Bowlium. Top This used to have the best Italian Beef sandwich around... lawn suit with silk dupatta online , 2 piece lawn suit limelight
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When I was a kid they had the best burgers around
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