"The Ancient and Honorable Game of Bowling"
When I first went to the Catalyst in the early 1980s someone told me it was a converted bowling alley. You can’t miss the Rip Van Winkle painting you walk under as you enter the dance hall. We knew that old people The Santa Cruz Bowl opened October 29, 1938. The Depression had not yet ended, but Prohibition had been over for about five years.
The SC Bowl was one of a chain of alleys operated by W. S. Van Winkle the 1930s. He must have
Early reports of the bowling alley mentioned that the new “sports center” was to operate “year round.” This was important for Santa Cruzans, and unusual, because
Winkle hired the contractors in May of 1938 , and the Santa Cruz Bowl opened five months later. So that’s what a “business friendly” environment is.
The plans reveal an attractive, roomy arrangement of the 50 by 200 foot floor space with wide lobby entrance on the north side of the building, leading to the billiard, snooker and pool room on the south side and then into the center refreshment section of the building.
Separate but adjoining the refreshment section, and occupying the entire southern end of the structure will be the bowling alleys, the last word in equipment for this interesting sport which thrives usually in the winter time .
Record Crowd Sees Dedication of New Santa Cruz Bowl
With a smile on his face, a chip on his shoulder and a flower in his buttonhole, Andy Balich stepped out Saturday night to surprised the natives with this genius as he helped a record crowd dedicate the palatial new Santa Cruz Bowl, Pacific avenue bowling and recreation center.
Thousands of persons flocked to the new building during the evening to see the sights and join in the free use of the bowling alleys and pool and billiard tables. No card games are allowed and alcoholic beverages are forbidden on the premises.
Hanging over the archway leading from the fountain patio to the bowling alley is a big painting 8 feet by 16 feet showing Rip Van Winkle sleeping, while the dwarfs were blowing on the lawn. The painting was made by an artist from one of the movie studios in Hollywood. The painting was given Walter Van winkle, who with harry Hines, owns the local business venture.
The last time I checked, in March of 2016 , the painting was still there, nearly 80 years later.
Santa Cruz Bowl to Open Tonight
A new sport on the Santa Cruz menu, the ancient and honorable game of bowling, steps out to take a bow tonight with the opening to the public of the elaborate new $50,000 Santa Cruz Bowl on Pacific avenue near Cathcart street.
The handsome new recreation center, boasting eight first class alleys as well as eight tables for billiards, snooker, and pocket billiards, is rated among the finest of its kind on the Pacific coast, neither time nor money being spared in its construction.
Starting at 7 o'clock tonight visitors are free to roam through the Spanish style patios of the building and investigate the facilities of the hall, with comfortable upholstered chairs ready for the accommodation of the weary ones. ...
Long Popular Here
The game has flourished here off and on since early in the 1870s with alleys at Bausch's Gardens, now the Santa Cruz Feed and Fuel company on Soquel avenue, at the building now occupied by the Pure Food Center at the Plaza, and in the building now occupied by the H. H. Ledyard interests on Vine street and at quarters on Front street. Another alley once flourished near the site of the present Santa Cruz Bowl.
There was no mistake that the Santa Cruz Bowl would not be like other recreations on the block.
Featuring two of the most popular indoor sports, bowling and billiards, snooker and pool, the bowl will get its official send-off tonight with city, county and service club officials rolling the first balls down the eight bowling alleys.
Under construction since early this year, the Santa Cruz Bowl will have no equal in any city the size of Santa Cruz. Streamlined lighting effects, strictly new and modern equipment, and an absolute taboo on card games, the Bowl is believed headed towards becoming the city's favorite spot for young and old, men and women alike.
In the front of the building , glass bricks are used to admit more light in the room that have eight billiard snooker and pool tables. A mezzanine floor overlooks this room as it does the bowling alleys in the rear of the structure .
Between the table games room and bowling alley is a patio in which refreshments, beverages, sandwiches may be procured . Chairs to seat 15 persons are around a long counter. No intoxicants will be sold in the building.
Before opening night, the local partner, Harry Hines of Paradise Park, made clear what locals could expect at his establishment. Although this area of town had associated billiards with saloons—more on that later—the Santa Cruz Bowl was different.
Making it emphatic he would have no card games or bar in connection with the new Santa Cruz Bowl which opens Saturday night, Harry Hines, one of the owners of the $55,000 venture, said yesterday the closest the Bowl will come to a bar will be the fountain lunch.
As far as card games are concerned , Hines said, there were other spots in town where such games could be played , but not at the Bowl. Rooms on the mezzanine floor will be occupied by the office, restrooms, and an apartment .
There were, in fact, card rooms right next door. Hines sold his interest in the Bowl three years later 1941. Van Winkle still owned the SC Bowl, and thirty-seven others, when he died in 1952.
A few months after the Bowl opened, Irving Crane came through town.
Devotes of billiards and pocket billiards of Santa Cruz and vicinity will have an opportunity to witness one of the leading experts of the world in action tonight when Irvine Crane , youthful title contender, will appear at the Santa Cruz Bowl in an exhibition match with an adversary yet to be chosen .
Advertisement, 1940
In 1940, something odd happened with the Bowl management which caused high drama for a day. The men were angry.
New Regime Looms at Alleys
Feminine Influence Hovers Over Bowl; Petitions Boost Miller
The feminine influence hovered over the Santa Cruz Bowl today, complicated the problem centered around Andy Miller, alley attendant reported on the way out.
Miller said today that he had been notified by Walker Van Winkle, owner of the alleys, that his services would no longer be required after the first of the month. He claimed that Marge Peck, personable young bowling miss, was slated to take the post.
Bowlers expressed their disapproval of the Miller dismissal in petitions being circulated today asking that be be retained . he has been employed here ever since the opening of the alleys coming here from Modesto.
Van Winkle, who also owns alleys in Monterey, is expected here this week to discuss the contemplated change in personnel. The petitions were expected to be ready for submission to him by tomorrow.
The next day, facts came to light:
Economy Move is Reason for Miller Removal
Andy Miller Refuses Similar Job in Richmond
While interest in the removal of Andy Miller as alley-man at the Santa Cruz Bowl apparently was unchanged from Monday's highlights, there were several new developments that threw another light on the situation yesterday.
Harry Hines, co -owner of the Alleys with Walter Van Winkle, said that the reason for the removal of Miller wasn't because of this work but was an economy measure. The local leagues will be over within a few weeks and revenues of the alleys will fall off considerably during the summer months, Hines declared yesterday, making some retrenchment necessary.
Refuses New Job
He said when Miller was given his customary two week's notice, he was offered a job with no decrease in salary, at the alleys owned by Van Winkle in Richmond. Miller declined with thanks, to take the position offered by Van Winkle, Hines said.
Hines said that both he and Van Winkle, who lives in Pittsburg, California, were in complete agreement on the retrenchment policy and both agreed that miller would be the one to go. Hines and Van Winkle each own half interest in the local alleys, which were opened in October 1938.
Three years later, Miller was noted in the papers as the manager of the Bowl, so he got his job back with a promotion. What I do not know is, if back in 1940, when revenues were down, did Marge get the job at half the pay? There is a a woman named Marge Peck who worked at Soquel High for many years, and a Marge Peck who continued to bowl, but I do not know if this is her, or the rest of her story.
As you can tell from the passionate collection of petitions, bowling was a Big Deal to bowlers Santa Cruz. The local papers printed all the league scores, and devoted pages and pages to the sport each week.
Bowling is popular because it is social, and different from most sports in that a terrible player can still participate on a team without ruining everyone else's fun. As a Brunswick promotional video put it: “bowling is wholesome fun” that offers “the pleasure of bowling for men and women of all ages, and all walks of life.” During its mid-century popularity, going bowling was where young people could meet each other, and a fun date.
Promotional video by Brunswick showcasing a new line of bowling equipment for operators.
I have wondered so many things about the bowling scene in Santa Cruz. Who was bowling, and who wasn’t bowling? Were the Chinese kids bowling? Were the Japanese kids? After WWII, there were more African-American kids in Santa Cruz. Did they bowl? Was the SC Bowl where working classes and the professionals could bowl together? Were the leagues divided on class lines? After the war, maybe there was a dyke team or two in the women’s league. I know there are people alive now who may remember, and I hope to talk to them someday.
Bowling has that idealist potential to bring us together. If only we would “Take the Skinheads Bowling” even hateful people could find common ground and friendship. Given that the song was written by Camper Van Beethoven , in my mind I pictured those conciliatory frames would be bowled in the Catalyst’s concert hall.
Walter Van Winkle, the Bowling Alley Kingpin, died in 1952. Locals Robert and Mary Ide bought the Santa Cruz Bowl in 1954. They had already built the Capitola Bowl in 1950 (the site remains with us as the Capitola Mercantile), and they built the Surf Bowl in 1958 (Now Boardwalk Bowl). Soon after that, the SC Bowl became owned by bowling franchise.
It is difficult to discern was was going on at the SC Bowl as it faded. Bowling as a popular past time didn't survive 1960s cultural revolutions, and the aging of the generation of the peak years.
In 1964, the Trade Winds import store moved to the SC Bowl's address of 1011 Pacific from next door at 1009 Pacific when the latterwas torn down. They shared an address with the SC Bowl until 1970 when they had a moving sale. (I have not found why 1009 was demolished , but I assume the lot was empty and available to Randall Kane when he bought the SC Bowl building and built the Atrium on that lot.)
In 1964, the Trade Winds import store moved to the SC Bowl's address of 1011 Pacific from next door at 1009 Pacific when the latter
In September 1971, a member of UC Santa Cruz’s “Pioneer Class” was managing the restaurant at the Bowl, and tried to make it work.
If completed, he said plans are to paint and refurbish the building of 35,000 square feet and continue to operate it as a bowling alley.
The bowling alley, which began operation in the mid-1930s, is owned by Monterey Bowl Corp. The property includes the bowling alley, the White Buffalo, a coffee shop, meeting room, and an apartment upstairs.
Asked why it closed two weeks ago, operator Claude Pender answered, "We simply weren't making any money."
Pender said he notified the nine leagues that were bowling there of the closing time some time ago.
Stanger must have pulled something together the next month White Buffalo advertised that the SC Bowl was under new management.
If Brian Stanger or anyone from that period is still around, I hope they could tell us stories about the last days of the Santa Cruz Bowl. I wonder about 60 -year-old Claude, who knew how to run a bowling alley, watching its future fade. And the bowling corporation was probably dealing with many failing properties, didn’t need the one in swiftly counter-culturing Santa Cruz, where the hippies couldn’t figure out how to pay the rent.
So they put it up for sale. This was the classified ad:
INVESTORS
Grab this hot piece of Pacific Ave. property and make news in '72. Imagination and a little pizazz could turn this 12,000 sq ft. building into a moneymaker. Presently the White Buffalo, Santa Cruz Bowl, and a restaurant. Only $125,000; absentee owner will consider any reasonable offer.
When Kane had announced his plans to move the Catalyst from the St. George, old Santa Cruz was not pleased. Just like all of us do when the perfect pleasures of our youth die because no one plays there anymore, someone made a rueful comment.
Have you heard the Catalyst is remodeling the old Santa Cruz Bowl? To old-timers who remember the good old days of the Santa Cruz Bowl, putting the Catalyst in there is akin to holding a flea market in the Taj Mahal!
For that person, the SC Bowl was a pleasure palace, never to be seen again, and how I wish we had more stories of their fun and friendship, and the ties that lasted till the end of their lives. Those are the common stories of everyday life that rarely are record publicly.
When the SC Bowl opened in 1938, the newspapers recalled that there had been another bowling alley near where it was now. It was in fact, next door. When you enter the Catalyst and walk forward toward the main stage, you are on the site of the old Santa Cruz Bowl, but when you turn left and walk into the Atrium, you are walking onto the site of a whole other history.
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