People flock to Pickwick Bowl in Burbank before it closes this Tuesday.
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Topline:
The Pickwick Bowl in Burbank closes for good on Tuesday to make way eventually for a townhouse community totaling more than 90 units, including a small number for low-income housing. The project was approved last year after a protracted battle between the developer and the Burbank City Council.
Why it matters: The bowling alley is a veritable institution in the community, having served generations of Burbankers and Angelenos in its 60-plus year history.
Why now: On the last Friday night of the establishment's existence, LAist.com talks to longtime patrons about what this community landmark has meant to them.
On the last Friday night of its 60-plus years in business, the cocktail lounge at Pickwick Bowl was hopping.
Bartender Guillermo Lozano had been serving up drinks at a steady clip to a stream of old-timers — some dropping in from mere blocks away, others having made the trek from miles outside the city — soaking up the vibes at the bowling alley before this Burbank institution closes its doors for good this week.
Bartender Guillermo Lozano has been bartending at Pickwick Bowl since around 2018.
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"Business has been very good," Lozano said. "Guess because the people got the news of closing down. So probably that's the reason that they're coming."
Outside the bar, small groups of friends and families gathered at the lanes — laughing, chatting, taking turn to spot up and knock out a strike.
Come Tuesday, Aug. 15, all this — the lanes, the lounge, and more — will be gone, to make way for a townhouse community totalling more than 90 units, including a small number of low-income housing. The project was approved last year, after a protracted battle between the developer and the Burbank City Council.
Pickwick Bowl, on the last Friday night before it closes for good.
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The bowling balls at Pickwick Bowl.
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Fiona Ng/LAist
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Pickwick Bowl opened in the late 1950s, part of an ever-evolving 8.5-acre complex that has included an ice rink, an inn, a landscaped garden, and up until the '80s, a swimming pool. It's been owned by the same family since 1961.
Changes aside, the bowling alley has been a constant for generations of Burbankers and Angelenos.
For some, it was their go-to spot to bring a date. For others, a no-frills watering hole to down a beer at the end of a long week. For many, a wholesome family joint that's every bit Americana itself.
LAist.com spoke to some devotees who made their pilgrimage to Pickwick Bowl on its final weekend.
Alexandra Kirby, Burbank
Alexandra Kirby and her huband Darin and daughter Isabel at Pickwick Bowl.
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"It's an iconic landmark. You could take your kids here or your family members. It's such a little piece of Americana.
I understand things change and things evolve, but, it's kind of like a symbol of losing another piece of a small town to me. And it reminds me, you know, certain places that you just kind of take for granted aren't always gonna be there."
Rigo Jimenez, City Terrace
Rigo Jimenez worked in Burbank and used to hit up Pickwick Bowl.
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"I used to work around here when I was young and we used to hang out here all the time. The bar looks the same. The booths look the same. The bowling alley still looks the same. The drinks were a lot cheaper — $2 beers back then. Oh man, I used to bring my dates here. It was safe. You start bowling, then you start drinking, then you forget all about bowling. Good times.
Support places like this, you know, we never know when they're gonna be gone. Especially after the pandemic, so many legacy businesses went down. The fabric of Los Angeles is changing for the worst, I think. We are gonna have the Olympics in 2028, but it's like, what L.A. is gonna be shown to the world? Not our L.A., tell you that."
Kevin Gershan, Toluca Lake
Kevin Gershan laments the closing of Pickwick Bowl, as well as many other shuttered neighborhood staples in Burbank.
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"First time I came here I was in high school and I was in a bowling league in Encino and the Pickwick Bowl was one of the bowling alleys that we played in.
What brought me here is this is ending on the 15th, and it's really sad because all these great places that have been around, especially in the Burbank area [have closed]. First, Genio's went away, it's now the Social Security Office. Gary Bricks Ramp down on Hollywood Way, it's still there as a restaurant, but it's not Gary anymore. Viva [Rancho Cantina], which is across the street, closed. It's now a new Mexican restaurant. So a lot of the things of our childhood are disappearing and when you can come back before something closes, it brings back all those memories of your childhood."
Jennifer Nelson, Burbank
Jennifer Nelson and her son, Jack, at Pickwick Bowl.
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"We come every so often. My son really loves bowling. I mean, there's a new bowling alley, but it's not this. This is what I remember when I was a kid, a bowling alley like this. It's really indescribable, the feeling of, you know, bowling with your family. You're making memories with your family and your friends, and it's innocent and it's just a good time.
We don't have a lot of that anymore. Everyone's on their phones, on their [games], but this is something you do together. We need more of these places and we need family and community to be together."
Pickwick Bowl has become a community landmark in Burbank.
