Did your mother belong to a bowling league? Mine did, in suburban Pittsburgh where I grew up. The co-authors of Bowlarama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling—Chris Nichols of Los Angeles Magazine and founder of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Modern Committee, with Adriene Biondo, a preservationist/activist, author of five books, and the reason Johnie’s Broiler still stands in Downey, California—correctly call bowling more than a sport, more than a hobby. They see in the fantasy-shaped, wildly decorated Temples-of-Fun-and-Physical-Exercise an intrinsic touchstone of the “modern” lifestyle of post World War II America.
in soon-released ‘bowlarama‘
photo courtesy charles phoenix
And now, right when the original bowling palaces—sprawling multi-use meeting points for friends and strangers who’ll become friends—are fewer and further between, along comes this book. You’ll feel the fun, the community connection, if only by thumbing through photos and text prepared by two mid-Century-modern appassionatas.
One of them, Chris Nichols, tells artsmeme, via text message,
“We talk a lot about how the bowling centers were the only and/or first day care for a lot of new moms in the suburbs. And about all the stuff for children. Hardly any of the book is about the game/sport itself. It’s more about architecture, music, and art.”
That sounds good to us! Bowlarama promises to bring it back—in lavish illustrations, vintage photographs, exciting ephemera, and detailed hand-drawn architectural renderings. The book promises to capture the optimism, enthusiasm, and camaraderie of bowling, while ensuring its cultural legacy.
BOWLARAMA: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling | released Sept 10 from Angel City Press