The Covina Bowl is a former,
googie-styled bowling alley located in
Covina, California
Covina ( /koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles
The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. ...
. The bowling alley operated from 1956 until closing in 2017. After closing, the bowling alley building and sign were preserved and integrated into a set of new
townhomes
A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
.
History
Designed in 1955, then built in 1956 and designed by Powers, Daly, and DeRosa, the building's unique architecture was influenced by car culture, jets, the
Atomic Age
The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the '' Trinity'' test in New Mexico on 16 July 1945 during World War II. Although nuclear chain r ...
, and the
Space Age
The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and co ...
. The familiar A-Frame neon sign arose that same year. The bowling alley, in addition to a space-age theme, also evoked an Egyptian theme in the interior that was added on in the 1970s. The alley originally had 32 lanes, and would later expand to 50.
Due to years of decline, the Covina Bowl shut it doors on March 12, 2017, with the banquet rooms shutting down the year prior.
After the closure, the property was considered highly endangered by the Los Angeles Conservatory, with the iconic property's future in the air. In 2021, the Covina City Council approved a development plan for the Covina Bowl's property, including a renovation to the original iconic sign.
See also
*
Kona Lanes
*
Holiday Bowl
The Holiday Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in San Diego, California. Operating since 1978, its current conference tie-ins are with the Pac-12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The bowl is held at Snapdragon S ...
*
Palos Verdes Bowl
References
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Bowling alleys
Former buildings and structures in California