A Look at Tenpins in Des Plaines

The closing of Sim's Bowl tomorrow leaves downtown Des Plaines without a bowling alley for the first time in a very, very long time.

By 1905, there were already two bowling lanes in town: one at the Thoma House Hotel (on the site now occupied by Leona's) and almost directly across the train tracks on Ellinwood Street, in a building that also housed the post office. These were small places, probably containing 2 lanes each.

By 1924, both had disappeared, replaced by new buildings; the Thoma House Lanes were replaced by the Winkelmann Recreation Parlor, which held 7 Billiards Tables, a snooker and billiards table, and two bowling alleys; this building later became home to a restaurant, followed by Sears and for most of its lifespan, Brown's, until it was wrecked a few years ago to make way for the driveway into Metropolitan Square.

Also in 1924, bowling alleys and billiard space were built as part of the Des Plaines Masonic Temple Building at Lee and Miner Streets. However, these never opened. The space was converted into a new post office and later into apartments. I have to wonder if there are still lanes underneath the floorboards there.


The reason these never opened is because of the new Des Plaines Recreation Parlor at Pearson and Prairie. This building contained 10 alleys and 8 tables, and opened October 15, 1925. Its success would be short-lived, however, due to the repeal of prohibition.

With repeal, bars became integral to the success of bowling alleys; however, they could not operate near churches - a clear problem, since St. Mary's Church was directly opposite. Because of this, the Bowling Palace shut down, and in 1936, was converted into the new home of St. Mary's. It was torn down to make way for the Des Plaines Mall parking lot.


It's unclear to me whether an alley operated between the closing of the Recreation Parlor and the 1938 opening of the Des Plaines Bowling Palace at Pearson and Jefferson Streets. This alley, better known variously as Des Plaines Bowling Lanes, Des Plaines Bowl, or Des Plaines Lanes, had previously operated as a skating rink, and had been built around 1924 as a car dealership. It remained in operation until 2004, when it, too, was demolished to make way for Metropolitan Square.

The next up was Sims, in November 1954. Sim's, of course, featured 16 lanes and a cocktail lounge, and still looks very much a vintage bowling alley. Few alleys today still have visible ball returns, and most have lots of modern clutter like overhead video, automated scoring displays, disco balls, cosmic bowling, and so forth. While it's sometimes nice to have these new amenities, at a place like Sim's you can really focus on bowling.

The next built in the city was the short-lived original River Rand Bowl. It featured a Cocktail Lounge, Pub Room, Snack Shop, Nursery, and a carpeted concourse in addition to its 32 AMF automated lanes. Opened September 3, 1957, it burned to the ground on July 21, 1967, as a result of three six year old boys tossing a smoke bomb into a room that coincidentally contained highly flammable lacquer, being used to renovate. The original River Rand was near the front of River Road, while its replacement was on its parking lot, in the rear. The new River Rand was scaled down with only 24 lanes, but retained most of its predecessor's features and added a pro shop.

Forest Vue Lanes was the only other Des Plaines bowling alley, on the fringes of town near River and Devon - adjacent to where the new casino will be built. The 32-lane alley opened in 1965 and featured the usual amenities, plus Mack's Restaurant. It closed in 2001 to make way for the Hilton Garden Inn.

There are still a few bowling alleys around with similar vintage charm to those lost in Des Plaines:

Southport Lanes - 1922 - 4 Lanes - Manual Pinsetters - Chicago

Lincoln Square Bowl - 1918 - 12 Lanes - Chicago

Tivoli Bowl - 1928 - 12 Lanes - Downers Grove

King Pin Lanes - 1938 - 8 Lanes - Fox River Grove

Jeffery Lanes - 1954 - 8 Lanes - Wheeling

I sure hope someone brings it back downtown.