Last week Mark Brevard signed the final paperwork to purchase the Crestwood landmark from Mike Bluth. Mr. Brevard also owns Imperial Bowl and stated that he plans to keep Crestwood Bowl as a bowling alley for a long time. Whew!
The MO Historical Society has an interesting article about the popularity of bowling in the 1950’s and how famed pro-bowlers opened Crestwood Bowl back in 1958. Excerpt below...
At the height of the sport’s fame, many professional bowlers began opening their own bowling alleys. Budweiser team members Dick Weber and Pat Patterson, along with fellow professional bowler Rich Volling, opened Crestwood Bowl along Route 66 in 1958. They thought about calling their new alley Weber-Patterson Lanes but decided against it, not wanting to disappoint Route 66 tourists who might expect to see them there.
By the early 1970s, America’s intense fascination with bowling was beginning to simmer down, and the beer teams had all faded. Weber and Patterson built new bowling lanes around St. Louis and transferred all of their Crestwood Bowl ownership to Rich Volling’s mother, Hattie Volling. Her nephew, Ray Bluth, also a member of the famous Budweiser team, became Crestwood Bowl’s owner in 1973; he continues to operate it today with his son, Mike Bluth.
Crestwood Bowl’s neon sign, with a ball and pin advertising the alley’s 24 lanes and cocktail lounge, is the original one put up beside Route 66 in 1958. The famous sign went dark in 2009, but with the help of a grant from the National Park Service was completely restored and relit by the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s Neon Heritage Preservation Committee in 2012. It’s one of just a few signs that have been designated as official county landmarks by the St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission.
As noted in the article above, Crestwood Bowl has been family owned since 1958 and was owned by Ray and Mike Bluth since 1973. It’s comforting to know that the new owner appreciates the history of the game and this location.
Special thanks to Christmas in Crestwood co-chair Angela Sebben for the heads-up on this. She happened to be visiting the lanes last Friday when the new owner was signing the paperwork and had a chance to speak with him. Thanks Angela!
Per the Crestwood Bowl website – they have a great deal for Saturday Night Date Night! You get 1 hour of bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and a pitcher of soda for $25 per couple. Maybe I’ll see you there!