Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Marzano's Miami Bowl on South Archer Avenue. ( Gone.) Chicago Illinois USA. September 2004.

I took this photo from the west parking lot looking east. This was Marzano's Miami Bowl, wich was located on the southside of South Archer Avenue, just west of the intersection of South Pulaski Road in Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood.

After many years in operation, the owners of this Archer Heights neighborhood institution near Midway Airport, had just recently announced the upcoming closure in the Chicago Sun Times newspaper. I immediately went there on location to take some last photographs. Miami Bowl was eventually demolished, and today is a vacant lot.

The Chicago Transit Authority was planning on using the site for parking near the Pulaski Road CTA Orange line station nearby.

I have many happy memorys here at Miami Bowl. I attended Curie High School just east of here from 1977 to 1981, and would sometimes hang out, play pinball or video games in the arcade, have a bite to eat at the snack bar, play the jukebox, or even bowl a game or two occasionally.

My High School Gym class had a bowling course in the fall of 1979 here at Miami Bowl too.

3 comments:

leomemorial said...

HOLY COW

I think this photo is rare. Eddie, wasn't there another bowling alley here in Clearing at 63rd and Central?

Eddie said...

Hi Leomemorial!
Yes there was another Marzano
family owned bowling alley at
West 63rd Street and South
Central Avenue.

The other bowling alley was known as Marzano's Clearing Bowl, and was across the street from Midway
Airport. I used to bowl there on and off during the 1980's.

Unfortunately, I don't have any outside photos of the place. I do have a small handfull of photos inside Clearing Bowl, from a March 1985 bowling outing with two of My friends. These are the only photos I have of Clearing Bowl, and I miss the place. I shouldn't have taken the place for granted. Dang!

Thank You.
Eddie K.

Anonymous said...

can you post them when you get the chance? cool