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Japantown Bowl location in March, 2004. |
Neighbors
fought to save Japantown Bowl, but in the
end owner Kintetsu Enterprises Co. of America wanted to sell the place and
it did. The bowling alley was the cornerstone of Japantown after 24 years
at Post and Webster. It was one of only three bowling alleys remaining in
the City and was home to dozens of youth groups and bowling leagues. The
neighborhood institution was the social center of Japantown until its last
day, September 20, 2000. Opposion to the closure was fierce but fruitless.
An offer by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
to purchase the property was rejected. Supervisor Mabel Teng moved to have
the City operate the lanes as a recreation center but the idea never got
off the ground. Supervisor Michael Yaki's attempt to stop removal of equipment
from the property was merely a speed bump in Kintetsu's road out of the
bowling business. Kintetsu repeatedly stated that bowling was a dying sport
while critics said the company was selling Japantown's character to the
highest bidder in the City's then-booming real estate market. Japantown
Bowl was sold to a group of investors led by Board of Appeals Commissioner
John McInerney for $7 million. Shops and condos went up in place of the
facility. The Presidio Bowling Center and Yerba Buena Bowling Center are
the City's last remaining bowling alleys. Detail
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Copyright 2001-2004 Hank Donat |