Downtown Diary: Bowling dreams get time to spare

By Doug Moore

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Monday, Nov. 27 2006



The smudge marks on the windows are from the many faces that have looked in hoping to see bowling lanes on the first floor of the Lucas Lofts Building.



After all, the sign that has hung in the front window for a year and a half

continues to promise that the Flamingo Bowl is coming in summer 2006.



As each month ticked away, the idea of bowling a few frames with friends became more exciting. Between beers two and three, watch out. The recreational bowler has his groove on. We're talking turkey. Put those bumpers pads away.



But with every dream, reality has to come around and muck it up. Such is the case with the bowling alley planned for 1123 Washington Avenue.



Six months after Joe Edwards had hoped to throw open the doors to his first venture outside the Delmar Loop, he sits idle something he is not accustomed to doing.



"I've been waiting and waiting," Edwards said. "The lease has been signed for a year and a half. I'm waiting for the building owner to turn it over to me."



The plans are in hand. So is a liquor license and approval to hang a 28-foot-tall flamingo-shaped sign that will add another neon feature to the Washington Avenue landscape. For now, the proposed bowling alley is raw space.



Developer Patrick Stanley said the project was delayed because of complicated financing, but is still very much a reality.



"There is just a ton of due diligence on it," Stanley said. "It's definitely not Joe. It's been me slowing it up, crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i.' We'll get it open by mid-April."



Edwards is renting the space from Stanley.



"I'm not used to this. I usually own the buildings I develop," Edwards said of his many properties including the Pin-Up Bowl on Delmar Boulevard, just east of Skinker Boulevard. But he liked the pitch Stanley made to open a bowling alley in the loft district.



"I just hope it happens," Edwards said.



It will, Stanley said.



A martini bar will be the main draw with eight public and four private bowling lanes.



"It's going to be absolutely spectacular," Stanley said. "Hopefully, in the springtime, we'll all be bowling some frames."



Meanwhile, the smudge marks accumulate.



dmoore@post-dispatch.com | 618-624-2576

"It's definitely not Joe. It's been me slowing it up, crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i.' We'll get it open by mid-April."

steve wrote:Thanks for posting this. I really was surprised at the lack of activity given the fact that Edwards was involved. Something definitely seemed fishy.



It's great that this is apparently still a go. But do you think this will really be finished by next Spring?

I think a Gibson store would be a nice retail attraction

TheWayoftheArch wrote:Had a talk with the head honcho over at Lucas, Patrick, and he said that construction is indeed slated for next month.

Is that a 'talk to the hand' emoticon?

Washington Avenue to score bowling alley

By Joe Whittington

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Tuesday, Jun. 19 2007



More than a year after Patrick Stanley built the Lucas Lofts, University City

Loop developer Joe Edwards is putting in the alleys — the bowling alleys, that

is.



The Flamingo Bowl will occupy most of the first floor of the building at 1117

Washington Avenue. Edwards first signed the lease two years ago, but it took

time to line up all the details.

Framer wrote:Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will the Gibson store actually sell guitars? Or is this some kind of "concept" store?

Edwards first signed the lease two years ago, but it took

time to line up all the details.