Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Bowling alley as landmark?

A month after Woodhaven Lanes closed, the former bowling alley in Glendale sits vacant, its equipment removed, its block-letter signs discarded and its fate uncertain after five decades of strikes and spares.

Fans of Woodhaven Lanes push for landmark status

But preservation-minded locals are pushing the city to save the brick building - host to a national TV game show in 1959 and 1960 - by making it the first bowling alley landmark in the five boroughs.

To evaluate its merit, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will visit the alley, research its history and expedite the process if demolition is near, said spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon.


This is very interesting. Everything that's actually historical or architecturally significant in Queens gets one of those "go away" letters from LPC. A non-descript boxy brick bowling alley (remember, only exteriors of buildings are designated and the interior was ripped out already) has the commissioners running out to Queens to take a closer look at it. This commission is a complete joke.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Overturn the landmarks law today!

Anonymous said...

How the hell is this place a landmark? There's nothing appealing or of aesthetic importance here. Its a s-hole which basically will become another Best Buy or Waldbaums.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping either a Babies r Us or a Pottery Barn/Pottery Barn Kids, but that's just me.

Anonymous said...

Good Luck! Why would they landmark a two-tone piece of crap and not landmark Niederstein's, a building of historical significance and which was torn down to make way for chain stores?