My Ballard » Sunset Bowl

Final wall comes down at Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:00:11 +0000

A handful of people watched as three pieces of heavy equipment pushed the final wall of Sunset Bowl over.

Work on the demolition started last Wednesday. Avalon, the development company who owns the land plans to build an apartment complex on the site.

Last walls standing at Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:02:54 +0000

Demolition crews have been hard at work on Saturday, tearing apart the last remnants of Sunset Bowl. Only the southern and western walls remain.

Three excavators are taking part in the demolition.

They’re tearing the debris into smaller pieces for trucks to haul away.

Crews appear to be saving some of the larger beams.

A small crowd watched the demolition work through the chain-link fence.

A worker at the site told us they’ll be taking Sunday off and resuming work on Monday. The last two walls will come down early to middle of next week.

Earlier: Demolition begins at Sunset Bowl | Former employees say goodbye

Demolition begins at Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:13:09 +0000

This afternoon demolition crews began tearing down Sunset Bowl, a popular Ballard bowling alley and neighborhood hangout that opened in 1957. The new owners, Avalon, plan to build an apartment complex on the land.

After several delays, the heavy equipment moved in and took its first bite out of the building, just before 1 o’clock.

Onlookers gathered outside the chain link fence and watched, some with tears in their eyes, as Sunset Bowl came down. Earlier today, former employees toured the building to say their final goodbyes.

“I’m not doing as well as I thought I would,” one former employee tells us. “This is sad. Really sad.”

Russ Lloyd Demolition is doing the work. Russ tells us it will take a few days to take the whole building down. After that, the debris will be hauled away. As for the property, Avalon said this morning that it has no immediate plans to move forward with the development.

Thank you, Gerry for emailing us this great photo!

Genevieve Alvarez at The Seattle Times produced this video.

Earlier today: Employees say a final farewell to Sunset Bowl
Last April: A look at the development replacing Sunset Bowl

A final farewell to Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:45:27 +0000

With memories of happier times at Sunset Bowl, a group of former employees had the chance to take one last look. “That was our home,” the group told us in anticipation of the demolition, which is planned for later today. Barbara Church, the bar manager at the old bowling alley worked there for more than 30 years. “This place was probably my home away from home for more than half my life,” she says. Others chimed in, “mine too,” “yep, more than half my life.”

Armed with cameras and flashlights, they walked into the gutted building this morning. Once through the door, it was as if they were back in the working bowling alley — they started barking old orders at each other. “Hey! I need help on lane 12!” and “Can someone clean this up!?”

With laughter and teary eyes, they walked around their old home reliving days and nights they’ll never forget.

Some even took souvenirs to remind them of the good old days that they’ll be talking about for years to come. They even got one last photo of employees and family members. Demolition is planned for midday today.

The building has sat empty for more than a year and a half, drawing a transient crowd and becoming a canvas for graffiti. Police frequently patrol the area, especially between Sunset Bowl and Ballard Market (above.) “It’s worse to drive past here and see people standing and using our doors for their restroom and all this other kind of stuff,” former employee Dawn Stewart says.

Derek Bottles with Avalon, the development company who now owns this land, says they don’t have immediate plans to build. It’s kind of how the economy is right now, he explained. When asked why they were taking the building down now, he said, “Because the neighborhood asked us to.”

Demolition crews to level Sunset Bowl tomorrow

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:46:25 +0000

Update: Workers tell us that demolition has been delayed to tomorrow due to the unexpected amount of asbestos in the building and freon in the air conditioning unit that they’re currently removing.

Earlier: After decades as one of Ballard’s most popular hangouts, Sunset Bowl closed in April of 2008. Sunset Bowl auctioned off just about everything — even the bowling lanes. And now demolition crews are poised to tear down the colorful structure to make room for an apartment complex.

A small group of Ballard residents, armed with cameras, gathered this morning to watch the demolition, but crews told us they still have some asbestos removal to do before they start on tearing the building down later today. A worker says they’ll have three pieces of equipment working the demolition. We’ll post photos and videos here soon after the demolition begins.

Last year, a few Ballard residents initiated an effort to save Sunset Bowl, from attempting to designate the building as a historic landmark to working with its new owners to build a new bowling alley. But in the end, Avalon Ballard won design approval for a 233-unit apartment building with ground-level retail (above).

(Thanks BallardMike for posting word of the demolition in the forum.)

City gives Avalon Ballard official approval

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:36:29 +0000

Avalon Ballard, the 233-unit apartment complex replacing Sunset Bowl, received its final clearance today from the City of Seattle.

Avalon Ballard at Market St. and 14th Ave. won design approval in April. Today, the city officially signed off on the design and concluded the project will not have any negative environmental impact (see .pdf document).

We noticed one small change from the previous design documents: the pattern on the west wall looks like this, instead of the previously-submitted checkerboard design. No word on when the Sunset will be demolished.

Building replacing Sunset Bowl gets green light

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:45:20 +0000

After a two hour meeting, the Design Review Board unanimously approved the design (.pdf) for Avalon Ballard, the 233-unit apartment building replacing Sunset Bowl at Market St. and 14th Ave. NW.

Board members praised AvalonBay Communities and Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects for incorporating many changes from the last Design Review meeting. But the board set four conditions on approval.

“To me, the biggest issue is the west facade,” said board member Mark Brands of the patterns on the west side facing 15th Ave. The same sentiment was reflected in public comments. “It looked like the project is due tomorrow,” said Cynthia, a neighbor who lives nearby. She asked for “something a little more subtle,” suggesting the architects commission a mural or bring in a graphic artist. The board set a condition requiring that AvalonBay tone down the pattern using a warmer, more subtle texture. Other conditions included adding a stoop on the north side, enhancing the northeast corner and softening the parapet.

As part of the project, AvalonBay will bring a bike lane, landscaped median and wider sidewalk area along 14th Ave. in front of the building. They said they’ve been working with SDOT and the 14th Ave. NW Visioning Project.

This is the entrance to the courtyard, off Market St. across from Safeway. After the meeting, we spoke with AvalonBay Development Director Derek Bottles about financing for the project given the economy. “It’s a little different because we’re a public company,” he said, declining to estimate when the building may be built. “We’re at the mercy of the economy like everyone else.” About 20 people attending the meeting, and Bottles said he has been reading the comments here on My Ballard for feedback about the development.

Developer to show off Sunset Bowl replacement

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:51:00 +0000

It’s been nearly one year since Sunset Bowl closed (April 13, 2008), but the 25,000 square foot building still stands on the corner of 14th and Market. Last October we got to see the development that could replace the old bowling alley.

Later this month the developer will be back in front of the Design Review Board with some changes. (Note: the image above is from the previous design review meeting. This is not necessarily the current plan.) The original project description was for a “six-story mixed-use building including 234 apartments above 15,000 square feet of retail. Parking for 294 cars below grade.” The new proposal has 13,000 square feet of retail space at ground level with 233 residential units above. There will be parking on two levels below-grade for 277 vehicles. The Design Review Board will be meeting on Monday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballard High School library. The meeting is open to the public.

Sunset Bowl not a historic landmark

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:04:49 +0000

Unlike the now departed Denny’s building, there hasn’t been an outpouring of support to designate the doomed Sunset Bowl as a historic landmark.

But as is customary — which we learned from the Denny’s debacle — the new owners of Sunset Bowl filed a nomination with the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board as a preemptive move to make sure there wouldn’t be any last minute challenges. And the board ruled that Sunset is not historic, reports the Ballard News Tribune. But one board member pointed out that the nomination was brought before the board after the bowling alley’s interior was dismantled and auctioned off, diminishing any potential historic value. Sunset Bowl will be demolished any day now to make room for luxury apartments.

A look at what will replace Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:16:40 +0000

Sunset Bowl still stands at the corner of 14th and Market, but once it’s torn down a 234-unit apartment building will take its place. The owner, Avalon, has released a new set of design proposals.

This is a rendering of the six-story building looking from 14th and Market.

And this is a view looking up the steps from Market. There is a public meeting this coming Monday, October 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballard High School library where the public can comment on the latest designs (pdf file).

Plus: See our earlier coverage of Sunset Bowl

The seedy side of Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:36:21 +0000

While we await the demolition of Sunset Bowl, we’ve noticed the back side of the building along 56th St. is covered in graffiti and littered with trash.

We’ve seen on several occasions that this is becoming a popular hangout for Ballard’s transient population, but we’ve also noticed Seattle Police officers hanging out in the Sunset Bowl parking lot at night keeping an eye on things. By the way, the next design review meeting for the new development was scheduled for Monday night, but it has been canceled and will be rescheduled.

Earlier: Preview of the proposed building replacing Sunset Bowl, and the design review board’s concerns that it consumes too much of the lot.

Preview the building replacing Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:28:23 +0000

This Monday night is the first design review meeting, but Avalon has already released its preliminary proposed designs for the apartment and retail building replacing Sunset Bowl on Market St.

This is its preferred design of the three proposals. It’s a six-story building with a center courtyard and 234 units. The building covers the entire block. The front (bottom) faces Market St. You can see Burger King to the left.

Here’s a look at the ground floor with 13,900 square feet of retail and 294 parking spots. Again, these are preliminary proposals without many details — there’s no mention of specific retailers (or a bowling alley), for example — but you get an idea of the building’s size. You can see the full deck here (.pdf). The first public design review meeting will be held Monday at 8 p.m. in the Ballard High School Library. (Thanks Marie for the link!)

Meeting set for Sunset Bowl development

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:15:47 +0000

As we know, Sunset Bowl’s days are numbered. An application has been submitted to demolish the bowling alley and replace it with a 6-story mixed use building. The new building will include 15,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor with 230 apartments above and parking for 280 cars. Later this month, the applicants will present their plans to the Design Review Board. If you’d like to attend the meeting and offer your feedback on the project, it will be held on July 28th at 8 p.m. in the Ballard High School Library.

Still hoping for a new bowling alley

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:06:59 +0000

When word came down that Sunset Bowl had been bought, Jim Bristow created SaveSunsetBowl.com and gathered thousands of signatures. Then he worked to convince the new owners, AvalonBay, to incorporate a bowling alley in the new development. But now with Sunset Bowl facing the wrecking ball and AvalonBay expressing lukewarm interest in the bowling alley idea, Bristow is trying to drum up support to build a new bowling alley elsewhere in Ballard, reports the Ballard News Tribune. But it wouldn’t be cheap: a finished bowling alley, with the land, would cost as much as $10 million.

A look at the dismantling of Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:53:38 +0000

It’s been nearly a month since the Sunset Bowl auction. They’re “still dismantling the lanes,” says Bruce, who took a few photos inside Sunset Bowl yesterday evening. “Most of the people who bought them at the auction have taken their stuff, but there are a few stragglers.”

Bruce says Sunset Bowl’s maintenance guy told him that everything will be cleared out by Friday. For more photos, take a look at Bruce’s Flickr page here.

Echoes of Sunset Bowl at Pizza Fusion

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:37:27 +0000

A new pizza place under construction at 12th and Madison on Capitol Hill will incorporate furniture from Sunset Bowl. Pizza Fusion will reuse dining chairs, tables and barstools purchased at the Sunset Bowl auction. It’s is an “environmentally friendly restaurant chain” that focuses on local, reusable materials, and it’s aiming to become the state’s first LEED certified restaurant. Pizza Fusion will also use flooring from Garfield High School and pews from First Church Seattle. “We were seeking a business that would provide an opportunity to do our part in the preservation of the Puget Sound region for future generations to enjoy in the years ahead,” said co-founder Kevin York.

6-story apartment building over Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:27:23 +0000

My Ballard reader Harry alerts us to this land use filing from Avalon Bay Communities for Sunset Bowl: “Demolish 25,000 sq. ft. bowling alley and construct a 6-story mixed use building including about 230 apartments, 15,000 to 25,000 sq. ft. of retail and parking for 280 cars.”

It’s unknown at this point whether the “mixed use” would include a bowling alley, as many Sunset Bowl fans have requested (and Avalon has said it would consider.) The permit status is still “open,” which means the demolition has not yet been scheduled. And in our experience, crews like to demolish buildings — especially controversial ones — without warning.

Sign removed from Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:22:48 +0000

We noticed today that the “Sunset” sign has been pried off the building.

Only scars remain. We didn’t see the sign in the Sunset Bowl auction lineup last week, so we wonder who’s keeping it?

Sunset Bowl Snickers bar sells for $52.03

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:04:41 +0000

Remember that Snickers bar from Sunset Bowl that the Seattle Channel put up for auction on eBay? It sold for $52.03, with the proceeds going to the J.P. Patches statue going up in Fremont.

Sunset Bowl pins on Craigslist

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:17:31 +0000

We predicted yesterday that bowling pins from Sunset Bowl would soon appear on Craigslist (because the lots were so large.) Lo and behold, this morning you can “own a piece of Seattle history!” Bowling pins are $25 on one posting and “used wooden bowling pins” on another post are only $5.

Good turnout at Sunset Bowl auction

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:14:07 +0000

We stopped by around lunchtime to see how the auction was progressing, and we arrived in time to see one guy buy all the lanes for $1,000 each. Well, it was just the synthetic top of all the lanes — not the gutters, sensors and the original maple wood underneath, which were all auctioned off separately.

Also, they sold the entire scoring system — computer, floor displays, monitors — for all the lanes for a total of $3,200. (In this case, that’s the total of all the individual bids, as some folks just bought a couple of the floor displays.)

But we left before the most popular items — the bowling pins — were auctioned off. Since the lot sizes are so large (it looks like you have to buy a few dozen pins at a time), we’re betting some of this will soon appear on Craigslist.

Auction at Sunset Bowl today

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:18:46 +0000

Update: We just returned from the auction preview at Sunset Bowl, and the parking lot is already packed. The auction (details) is expected to last well into the afternoon, with some of the more interesting items (bowling pins, for example) scheduled to come up around noon or later.

Notice that the bowling pins come in large lots. Same for the bowling balls.

The computer displays, monitors and blue chairs are for sale, too.

Even the lanes and gutters are up for auction.

The best pick that I could see: this cool Sunset Bowl welcome rug, which will almost certainly draw a high bid.

Buy the last Snickers from Sunset Bowl

Dale — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:54:28 +0000

Chris Cashman, the host of the Seattle Channel’s “City Stream,” shot their next show at Sunset Bowl, during which he bought a Snickers bar from the vending machine, according to the PI’s Big Blog. He’s put it up on eBay as a “rare historical item,” with the proceeds of the sale going toward the JP Patches Statue Campaign.

As of the time of this posting, the bid was still at the amount Cashman paid for the bar – 85 cents.

The show will be posted on the City Stream site sometime today. What fun will he poke at Ballard? Speaking of history, he’s got a lot to pull from, considering his dad is Pat Cashman, of “Almost Live” fame, the show that routinely singled out Ballard, including one of my all-time favorites: Ballard Driving Academy.

The sun sets on Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:05:30 +0000

Sunset Bowl opened for business on January 9th, 1957, and it quickly became one of Ballard’s most popular hangouts. At one point, it was the busiest bowling alley in the country for two years running.

Then in January, a company called Avalon purchased the property with plans to build luxury apartments. Jim Bristow, an avid bowler, circulated petitions and searched for investors in an attempt to save the bowling alley. Or at least keep it open one more year. But tonight at midnight, Sunset Bowl is closing.

But it may not be for good. Avalon has left open the possibility that Sunset Bowl may return in a new development. But the current building will be demolished soon, and Sunset’s bowling equipment will be auctioned off on April 22nd.

Sunset is almost always packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Bowlers wait as long as two hours for a lane, and the small, dark bar is packed as karaoke singers take to the mic. This weekend, of course, is even busier, as Seattleites come to play one last game and pay their respects. And let’s not forget about the Sunset employees, who as of tonight, are out a job.

Just about everyone in Ballard has a memory at Sunset Bowl. Like many, my memories are late-night bowling with friends. On a glass wall inside, paper bowling pins are inscribed with messages like “I left my heart at Sunset” and “Sunset Bowl rocks.” There’s also “Avalon sucks,” a common theme among Ballardites who are worried that the neighborhood’s uniqueness is fading fast. So what are your memories? What will you miss about Sunset?

A video tour of Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:02:41 +0000

For posterity, here’s one final walkthrough of Sunset Bowl. Hopefully in two or three years, we’ll be comparing it with the new Sunset Bowl…

Sunset Bowl’s final week

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:54:31 +0000

This is it, folks. Schedule in your final night of bowling before Sunset Bowl closes next Sunday night. (Photo by Smohundro. More on Flickr here.)

Own a piece of Sunset Bowl

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:46:30 +0000

With Sunset Bowl closing on April 13th (see story below), its owners will auction off equipment and furnishings from the bowling alley on April 22nd. While Murphy Auctions doesn’t have a list of the items online, they’ve posted a few photos to give you an idea of what will be for sale: everything from the machines that align the pins (below) to the vending machines. We’ll venture to guess that many people who’ve visited Sunset Bowl over the years may be interested in buying a piece of history. The auction preview begins at 8 a.m. at Sunset Bowl on the 22nd, with the auction beginning at 10 a.m.

Sunset Bowl’s last day: April 13th

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:31:24 +0000

Despite efforts to keep Sunset Bowl open until the land’s new owners began demolition in a year or so, it looks like the bowling alley’s last day will be April 13th, as initially scheduled. But, as we’ve been reporting, the new owners are interested in the idea of building a new bowling alley into the luxury apartment development. So there’s hope a new Sunset Bowl may return. Today’s Seattle Times has a good story today that looks at the battle to save Sunset.

Developer ‘open’ to new bowling alley

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:22:36 +0000

The developer that purchased the land under Sunset Bowl says says they’re “open” to considering adding a bowling alley in the new development, which is slated to begin construction next year. “We’re not bowling operators, per se,” said Brian Fritz, VP of development for AvalonBay Communities. “But we are open to learning about what it will take.” He added, “I don’t want anyone to think that we are guaranteeing anything.” Fritz also said they’re considering whether to allow Sunset Bowl to stay open until summer 2009, when they’re scheduled to break ground on a luxury apartment development. Otherwise, Sunset Bowl had planned to close its doors next month. Stay tuned…

Effort to save Sunset Bowl intensifies

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:57:50 +0000

We’ve written about avid bowler Jim Bristow and his efforts to save Sunset Bowl by circulating petitions and organizing a group of investors. Now he’s launching a new site, SaveSunsetBowl.com, with the goal to “require the new property owners, Avalon Bay Communities Inc., to include a bowling facility in their new proposed mutli-use development.” Not only that, but the plan is the investor group would keep Sunset Bowl open until Avalon is ready to begin construction. “(The group) is working on a deal with Sunset Bowl to purchase all of their equipment, and keep it open, with hopefully all or most of the current employees,” writes Danielle Johnson in the Building Seattle Green blog. “Save Sunset Bowl believes that the opportunity to be heroes in the community will motivate Avalon.” So far, no official word from Avalon, although a spokesperson told the Ballard News-Tribune earlier this month that it’s “definitely willing to work with people.” So stay tuned…