Nation's Oldest Operational Bowling Center Rediscovered, Restored to Gilded Age Elegance
February 13 2008 - 12:39PM
PR Newswire (US)
Brunswick Foundation Restores Century-Old Bowling Center Jewel at
Georgian Court University LAKEWOOD, N.J., Feb. 13
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Brunswick Foundation and Georgian
Court University have announced the dramatic revival of the
nation's oldest known operational bowling center on the campus of
the University in Lakewood, N.J. Brunswick and the school have
partnered to restore the late 19th century bowling alley and bring
it back to life by spring of 2008. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080213/AQW104) The Brunswick
Foundation sought the expert opinion of historian and leading
bowling industry writer Chuck Pezzano to confirm the historical
importance of the bowling alley built by the Brunswick
Balke-Collender Company in 1899, which lay dormant for many decades
and its existence virtually unknown to the outside world. Georgian
Court University reached out to the Brunswick Foundation for help
in restoring the bowling alley, which Brunswick concluded was an
irreplaceable piece of bowling history that needed to be preserved.
"It's like walking through a door back into bowling's past of more
than 100 years ago and finding it part of the 'Gilded Age',"
Pezzano said. "This is a rare opportunity to link the past, present
and future of bowling." Bowling was one of the sports of the social
elite during the end of the 19th century and now ranks as a leading
participatory sport and the fastest-growing high school sport in
the United States. With 108 years of history behind it, this will
be the oldest known operational bowling center of a truly American
sport, according to Pezzano. With the formation of the American
Bowling Congress in 1895, playing rules and equipment
specifications were standardized, so the lanes at Georgian Court
have the same measurements as today's lanes. Pezzano said that too
often, bowling has been portrayed as a back-of-bar activity for men
only in a smoke-filled atmosphere of drinking and gambling. "The
alley at Georgian Court does much to debunk such thinking because
it was used in the late 1800s and through the early 1900s by the
family and guests of George Jay Gould, son of railroad tycoon and
famed financier Jay Gould, which included the industry leaders of
the world, plus the leaders of society, the arts and other
professions." The clip-clop of the hoofs of precisely trained polo
ponies and the rallying calls of their goal-seeking riders are
distant, but treasured memories of the Casino at Georgian Court
University -- the hub building of one of the most lavish private
sports and entertainment facilities for its time -- still echo
through the structure. That was back in 1899 when Gould created the
building which housed indoor polo, court tennis and similar games,
a swimming pool, and the three Brunswick bowling lanes. "Bowling
has a long and rich history at Georgian Court. It was an important
sport for the campus back in the 1940s and was used, though less,
up to the '60s," said Rosemary E. Jeffries, president of Georgian
Court University. "We are grateful to the Brunswick Foundation and
delighted to bring this piece of history back to life." No detail
too small Located in the university's Casino building, the
three-lane bowling alley will be almost exactly as it was when it
was originally built in 1899 by the Brunswick Balke-Collender
Company, according to Jeffries. In addition to putting the lanes
back into use and resurfacing them, some of the other restorations
include repairing the ball returns and installing new bowling pins,
restoring gold-finished pendant lighting fixtures, repairing the
ceiling, and renewing power sources, Jeffries said. Posts
containing chalk to dry the hands and rings with towels were part
of the original setting, along with slate scoreboards, which will
be refurbished and part of the new environment. The Georgian Court
restoration will also feature pictures of the past, artifact
displays, and wooden bowling balls to create a feeling of a
miniature bowling museum, and will have an official dedication
ceremony in the spring. "We are proud to support the restoration of
the oldest known operational bowling center," said Adrian Sakowicz,
president of the Brunswick Foundation and vice president --
community relations and corporate marketing alliances for Brunswick
Corporation. "We are thrilled to be able to preserve the past in an
unmatched atmosphere and continue into the future with the help of
such a dedicated institution as Georgian Court." The Georgian Court
University campus is listed on the State and National Registers of
Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic
Landmark possessing architectural, social and cultural
significance. "That alone puts it in a unique place in the history
of bowling," Pezzano said. "While regular tours of the campus are
conducted, the bowling alley brings 'oohs' and 'aahs.' Just wait
until it's restored." Though the sounds of the polo ponies and
other sounds of a past century may never return, the sound of
bowling balls crashing against pins and the cheers of college
student bowlers and others will fill the air around the Casino, a
building that not only survives, but thrives. "Bowling has never
been in such exalted company and surroundings," Pezzano said. "And
with that historic past, there is the current, bubbling energy of a
highly respected university whose students and community will be
re-introduced to the bowling treasure in their midst." About
Brunswick Foundation Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC), founded in
1845, today is the world's leading maker of pleasure boats, marine
engines, fitness equipment and bowling and billiards products.
Established in 1957, the Brunswick Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
charitable organization which seeks to enhance the interests of
Brunswick Corporation employees and the communities in which they
live and work, as well as support causes and projects that
complement the business interests of the company. This year, the
organization celebrates its 51st anniversary. About Georgian Court
University Founded in 1908 and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy,
Georgian Court University is a comprehensive university with a
strong liberal arts core and a special concern for women. A
forward-thinking university that supports diversity and academic
excellence, Georgian Court serves over 3,000 students of all faiths
and backgrounds in a residential Women's College and a
coeducational University College with undergraduate and graduate
programs. Georgian Court's main campus is located at 900 Lakewood
Avenue, Lakewood, N.J., on the picturesque former George Jay Gould
estate, now named a National Historic Landmark. Georgian Court also
offers classes at its site at 90 Woodbridge Center Drive in
Woodbridge, at Coastal Communiversity in Wall, and at Cumberland
County College in Vineland.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080213/AQW104
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Brunswick Foundation
CONTACT: Mary Pettersen of Cushman-Amberg Communications, Inc.,
+1-312-499-5236, ; or Deborah Gilleran of Georgian Court
University, +1-732-987-2266, Web site: http://www.brunswick.com/
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