Kona Lanes

{{Short description|Former bowling center in Costa Mesa, California}} {{featured article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2014}} {{Infobox venue | name = Kona Lanes | former_names = New Kona Lanes (1980s) | image = File:Kona Lanes roadside sign.JPG | caption = The Kona Lanes Bowl roadside sign in 2002 | coordinates = {{Coord|33.671083|-117.920306|type:landmark_region:US-CA}} | address = 2699 Harbor Blvd.<br />Costa Mesa, California, U.S. | type = Bowling center | architect = Powers, Daly, & DeRosa | builder = Quigley & Clark | built = 1958 | opened = {{start date and age|1958|paren=y}} | renovated = 1981 | closed = {{end date and age|2003|paren=y}} | demolished = 2003 | owner = Jack Mann Jr. (last) }} '''Kona Lanes''' was a bowling center in Costa Mesa, California, United States, that operated from 1958 to 2003. Known for its futuristic design, it featured 40 wood-floor bowling lanes, a game room, a lounge, and a coffee shop that eventually became a Mexican diner. Built during the advent of Googie architecture, its Polynesian-inspired Tiki styling extended from the large roadside sign to the building's neon lights and exaggerated rooflines.

When Kona Lanes was demolished in 2003, it was one of the last remaining examples of the Googie style in the region; its sister center, Java Lanes in Long Beach, was razed in 2004. Much of Kona's equipment was sold prior to the demolition, but the distinctive sign was saved and sent to Cincinnati, where a portion is on permanent display in the American Sign Museum. Costa Mesa's planning commission approved a proposal to build a department store on the site, but those plans were scrapped following public outcry. In 2010, the still-vacant land was rezoned for senior citizens' apartments and commercial development. Construction on the apartments began ten years after Kona Lanes was demolished.

==History== ===Early years=== thumb|upright=1|Kona Lanes before (top) and after a remodel taming its "ostentatious rooflines" (Scott Martelle, ''Los Angeles Times'') Kona Lanes opened in 1958, featuring the Tiki-inspired signage and architecture that became popular following World War II,<ref name=Tiki>{{cite AV media|publisher=Carolyn Yaussy (video journalist)|via=YouTube|location=Cincinnati, Ohio|title=The American Sign Museum|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXG6Hjlmc8w&t=2m33s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/nXG6Hjlmc8w| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|medium=video|at=2:33–2:54|quote=[Swormstedt:] The guys [had] been in those kind of Hawaiian-flavored bars and restaurants, they came back to the States after the war, there was this whole advent of the Tiki look.|date=January 22, 2014|access-date=May 27, 2014|id=(Interview: museum founder and executive director Tod Swormstedt)}}{{cbignore}}{{indent|2}}{{cite newspaper |last=Epting|first=Chris|url=http://articles.hbindependent.com/2010-06-09/news/hbi-pipeline061010_1_polynesian-pop-tiki-motif-tiki-culture/2|title=Tracking Tiki culture, influence|newspaper=Huntington Beach Independent|page=2|date=June 9, 2010|access-date=August 15, 2015|quote=[Chris Jepsen, Orange County Historical Society:] The [Polynesian] theme was fully embraced in Orange County as it became almost a status—a sign of class and distinction. A normal bowling alley now became 'Kona Lanes', and it stood out. Developers even incorporated the Tiki theme into their housing projects.}}</ref> including what the ''Los Angeles Times'' called its "flamboyant neon lights and ostentatious rooflines meant to attract motorists like moths".<ref name=latimes/> The building on Harbor Boulevard near Adams Avenue was one of three in the Googie style that architects Powers, Daly, & DeRosa designed at around the same time;{{sfnp|Chattel, Inc.|2013|p=16}} Kona Lanes and its sister center, Java Lanes,<ref name=java1>{{cite magazine|last=Douglas|first=Leo|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/2004-07-01/music/the-birth-the-death-the-ghost/full/|title=The Birth, the Death, the Ghost|magazine=OC Weekly|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=July 1, 2004|access-date=January 24, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721174815/http://www.ocweekly.com/2004-07-01/music/the-birth-the-death-the-ghost/full/|archive-date=July 21, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> used names that suggested South Pacific island locales.{{sfnp|Chattel, Inc.|2013|p=16}} Author Andrew Hurley called them "expensive and attractive buildings that screamed, 'Have fun here{{single double}},{{sfnp|Hurley|2002|p=155}} and Kona retained much of that atmosphere over the years. Its massive neon-lit street sign remained for the life of the building,<ref name=sign4/> and Kona was the only bowling establishment in the area to reject automatic scoring equipment throughout its existence.<ref name=dailypilot>{{cite newspaper |first=Dierdre|last=Newman|title=Pins Set to Fall On Kona Lanes|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-04-05/news/export25232_1_lanes-general-manager-kona-lanes-segerstroms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231215647/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-04-05/news/export25232_1_lanes-general-manager-kona-lanes-segerstroms|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2013|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=April 5, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref>

Kona Lanes hosted the Southern California PBA Open twice in 1964; Billy Hardwick won in April and Jerry Hale in December.<ref name=pbatour1>{{cite web|title=Southern California PBA Open: Archived Standings|url=http://www.pba.com/Tournaments/FullStandings/235|publisher=Professional Bowlers Association|access-date=December 10, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220141737/http://www.pba.com/Tournaments/FullStandings/235|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=pbatour2>{{cite web|title=Southern California PBA Open: Archived Standings|url=http://www.pba.com/Tournaments/FullStandings/256|publisher=Professional Bowlers Association|access-date=December 10, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220174335/http://www.pba.com/Tournaments/FullStandings/256|url-status=live}}</ref> Longtime general manager Dick Stoeffler,<ref>During the PBA Southern California Open finals on December 21, 1964, ABC-TV announcer Chris Schenkel referred to Stoeffler as "general manager, part-owner and resident pro".</ref> known at the time as the producer and host of ''TV Bowling Tournament'' on KTLA,<ref name=lyou/><ref name=stoeffler>{{cite newspaper |first=Jim|last=Goodwin|title=Heaven Has a New Headliner|url=https://www.californiabowlingnews.com/assets/011807.pdf|newspaper=California Bowling News|page=1|date=January 18, 2007|access-date=December 10, 2017}}</ref> finished third during the televised finals in his own building in December, behind Hale and Hardwick.<ref name=pbatour2/> When Stoeffler rolled back-to-back 300 games in one league session at Kona in 1968, he was one of only four men in the United States to have managed the feat.<ref name=b2b300s>{{cite newspaper |url=https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Herald/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Herald%201968%20Grayscale/Gloversville%20NY%20Leader%20Herald%201968%20Grayscale%20-%200365.pdf|title=Californian Sixth with Consecutive 300 Games|newspaper=Leader-Herald|location=Gloversville, New York|date=February 5, 1968|access-date=November 14, 2014|postscript=. The first woman to bowl back-to-back sanctioned 300 games was Carol Norman in 1986.}}</ref>

===Peak years=== thumb|upright=1|Kona Lanes main entrance: 'Through these doors pass the world's greatest bowlers' Champions who bowled at Kona Lanes during its 45-year history include three-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour winner Jack Biondolillo;<ref name=pbatour2/>{{sfnp|Grasso|Hartman|2014|p=47}} six-time male Bowling Writers Association of America Bowler of the Year and future PBA Hall of Famer Don Carter;<ref name=pbatour1/>{{sfnp|Grasso|Hartman|2014|p=80}} John Haveles, an Orange County Bowling Hall of Fame inductee who began a stint as Kona's manager in 1974;<ref name=haveles>{{cite newspaper |first=Fred|last=Groh|title=Linbrook Bowl's John Haveles Retires|url=http://www.delriolanes.com/bowlingnews//032813.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001342/http://www.delriolanes.com/bowlingnews//032813.pdf|newspaper=California Bowling News|page=4|date=March 28, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=December 31, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> future Michigan Women's Bowling Association Hall of Famer Cora Fiebig; two-time female BWAA Bowler of the Year Aleta Sill;<ref name=sill>{{cite newspaper |first=Gerald|last=Scott|title=WIBC Tournament: Bowlers Wrapping Up 3-Month Event|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-30-sp-174-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=June 30, 1986|access-date=December 31, 2013|postscript=. Cites both Feibig and Sill.}}</ref> repeat bowler of the year and WIBC Hall of Famer Donna Adamek;<ref>{{cite newspaper |first=Paul|last=Wager|title=Queen's Bowling Tournament : Fiebig, 51, Defeats Thorberg for Title|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-18-sp-21249-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=May 18, 1986|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref> and Barry Asher, the multiple PBA Tour champion and Hall of Fame inductee who later ran the pro shop at Fountain Bowl in nearby Fountain Valley.<ref name=asher2>{{harvp|Horvitz|2002|loc=p. 116}}.{{indent|2}}{{cite newspaper |first=Peter|last=Larsen|title=Bringing the Bowling to 'The Big Lebowski'|url=https://www.ocregister.com/articles/asher-500841-bowling-lebowski.html|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|date=March 21, 2013|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref> Kona Lanes and Tustin Lanes hosted nearly 10,000 teams of five players each taking part in the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships in 1986.{{sfnp|USBC|2013|pp=3, 22}}

Under Dick Stoeffler's management, Kona Lanes kept busy 24 hours a day, which made him one of the most successful proprietors in the country. Stoeffler met his future wife there;<ref name=stoeffler/> other couples had similar experiences, including at least one wedding.<ref name=latimes>{{cite newspaper |first=Scott|last=Martelle|title=O. C. Bowling Alley's Days Roll to an End|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-27-me-kona27-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=May 27, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref><ref name=ocweekly>{{cite magazine|first=Anthony|last=Pignataro|title=Goodbye, Nude Bowling: The Last Days of Kona Lanes|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/2003-05-15/features/goodbye-nude-bowling/full/|magazine=OC Weekly|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=May 8, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231172733/http://www.ocweekly.com/2003-05-15/features/goodbye-nude-bowling/full/|archive-date=December 31, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Articles About Bowling Alley|work=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/keyword/bowling-alley|type=search result|access-date=February 2, 2014|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101183705/http://articles.dailypilot.com/keyword/bowling-alley|url-status=dead}}{{indent|2}}{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/55471ef1be301b656016acdcc887a981|title=Bright and Brief|work=Associated Press News|date=October 11, 1988|access-date=November 14, 2014|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023550/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1988/Bright-and-Brief/id-55471ef1be301b656016acdcc887a981|url-status=live}}</ref> The center was often so busy that customers had to make reservations to get a lane during open bowling hours.<ref name=paul>{{cite newspaper |first=Kent M.|last=Paul|title=Community Commentary: A Few Strikes Against Modern Bowling|url=https://www.latimes.com/tn-dpt-0612-commcomm-20110611-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 11, 2011|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> At its peak, Kona Lanes averaged more than 80 lines on each of its 40 lanes.<ref name=lyou>{{cite newspaper |last=Lyou|first=Joe|url=https://www.californiabowlingnews.com/assets/011807.pdf|title=Tenpin Slants|newspaper=California Bowling News|page=2|date=January 18, 2007|access-date=December 10, 2017|postscript=. A "line", the industry standard, is a single ten-frame game per person.}}</ref>

Bowling as a participation sport flourished in the early 1960s,<ref name=mann>{{cite newspaper |first=Jan|last=Norman|title=34 Years of Bowling is Enough|url=https://www.ocregister.com/articles/bowling-237439-mann-jack.html|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|date=March 4, 2010|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref> but its popularity was diluted due to overbuilding; the number of bowling alleys sanctioned by the then-American Bowling Congress peaked at about 11,000 by mid-decade,<ref name=peak>{{cite newspaper |first=Jesus|last=Sanchez|title=Ralph Cramden Might Not Recognize the New Bowling Center|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-30-fi-1356-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=August 30, 1988|access-date=February 6, 2014}}</ref> and Kona was one of more than 30 in southern California alone. A decline in league bowling starting in the 1980s was also blamed for the downturn,<ref name=mann/>{{sfnp|Chattel, Inc.|2013|p=17}} but an AMF Bowling official argued that the customer base remained steady because an increase in open bowling made up for fewer league bowlers.<ref name=nolease1>{{cite newspaper |first=Dierdre|last=Newman|title=Not a Gutter Ball Yet|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-05-28/news/export23440_1_segerstrom-kona-lanes-amf-bowling/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103022320/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-05-28/news/export23440_1_segerstrom-kona-lanes-amf-bowling/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 3, 2014|page=2|date=May 28, 2003|access-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref>

Jack Mann bought Kona Lanes in 1980 and re-branded it New Kona Lanes the following year.<ref name=mann/><ref name=newkona>{{cite web|url=http://businessprofiles.com/details/new-kona-lanes-inc/US-CA-C1051387|title=New Kona Lanes, Inc., California|website=BusinessProfiles|access-date=October 11, 2014|archive-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017055354/http://businessprofiles.com/details/new-kona-lanes-inc/US-CA-C1051387|url-status=live}}</ref> Mann's family owned several bowling centers in the region; he was behind the creation of Fountain Bowl in 1973 and the short-lived Regal Lanes in Orange in 1974.<ref name=dailypilot/> He also owned Tustin Lanes before selling it to his youngest son, Alex.<ref>{{cite newspaper |last=Edwards Staggs|first=Brooke|url=https://www.ocregister.com/articles/lanes-686666-tustin-hardware.html|title=Shuttered Tustin Lanes to become Orchard Supply Hardware|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|date=October 9, 2015|access-date=October 17, 2015|postscript=. Tustin Lanes closed in October 2015 after 38 years. The ''Orange County Register'' called it "the latest victim of the shrinking bowling industry".}}</ref> Mann bought Kona Lanes not because he loved bowling, but because it would continue to pay dividends if he was no longer able to work.<ref>Pignataro, "Goodbye, Nude Bowling". "[Mann:] Ironically, nobody in my family is a bowler."</ref> He later sold it to his son Jack Jr.<ref name=mann/>

===Music=== The center's lounge, the Outrigger Room, hosted many local artists over the years. Jazz quintet The Redd Foxx Bbq released four songs recorded there, and Roscoe Holland recorded a set of eight live performances for his album ''Beyond the Reef''.<ref name=outrigger>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/323722-Kona-Lanes|title=Kona Lanes (venue page)|publisher=discogs|access-date=September 12, 2014|postscript=. From the rear cover: "This album was recorded live during one of Roscoe's performances at the Kona Lanes Outrigger Room in Costa Mesa, California."|archive-date=March 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309035127/https://www.discogs.com/label/323722-Kona-Lanes|url-status=live}}</ref>

In later years, much of the bowlers' area was taped off for rock concerts and weekend promotions like Club Crush, which proved popular among teenagers and also led to album recordings.<ref name=music>{{cite newspaper |last=Buffa|first=Peter|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-03-02/news/export26658_1_kona-lanes-orange-county-mesa-verde-center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913032638/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-03-02/news/export26658_1_kona-lanes-orange-county-mesa-verde-center|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2014|title=Bye, Kona Lanes and Tiki Googie|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=March 2, 2003|access-date=September 12, 2014}}{{indent|2}}{{cite newspaper |last=Pasillas|first=Gena|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-aug-20-ca-14703-story.html|title=Guitar Alley|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=August 20, 1998|access-date=October 28, 2014}}{{indent|2}}{{cite AV media|people=Instagon|url=https://instagon.bandcamp.com/track/nebula-chaser|title=Space 1999 ''(10th Anniversary Edition)''|format=MP3|location=Tracks 5–7|date=December 23, 2009|access-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref> A planned event featuring a local punk rock group was shut down by the Costa Mesa Police Department, leading to negative publicity.<ref name=usbombs>{{cite magazine|first=Rich|last=Kane|title=Police On My Back|magazine=OC Weekly|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/1999-08-26/music/police-on-my-back/|date=August 19, 1999|access-date=January 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111035518/http://www.ocweekly.com/1999-08-26/music/police-on-my-back/|archive-date=January 11, 2014|postscript=. U.S. Bombs' promoter said the band was being accused of promoting Nazism; a police sergeant replied that it was merely an issue of permits.}}</ref>

===Decline and demolition=== thumb|upright=1|Kona Lanes in 1960 (top) and in 2002 Kona Lanes continued to lose business to newer centers,<ref name=dailypilot/> despite efforts to appeal to a more diverse customer base by hosting local music acts, supporting a Polynesian-themed restaurant called Kona Korral,<ref name=latimes/> and promoting gimmicks like "nude bowling".<ref name=nude>{{cite newspaper |last=Vanderknyff|first=Rick|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-25-ol-789-story.html|title=Strike Up the Music: If You Haven't Bowled Lately, It's Time to Get Back in the Groove|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 25, 1993|access-date=July 22, 2017|quote=... it turns out that was just the gag name for a new league. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds, though: an alley in Lake Elsinore used to have a real nude bowling league.}}</ref> Eventually, the property became more valuable than the business.<ref name=value>{{cite newspaper |last=Edwards Staggs|first=Brooke|url=https://www.ocregister.com/articles/bowling-689067-lanes-league.html|title=Orange County's fading bowling alley scene: just 15 centers remain|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|date=October 25, 2015|access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref> The landowners, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, gave Jack Mann Jr. a choice: spend $10–20 million to update the center, or give it up. Mann chose the latter rather than spend such a sum on a site without a long-term lease.<ref name=latimes/><ref name=nolease2>{{cite newspaper |first=Dierdre|last=Newman|title=Not a Gutter Ball Yet|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-05-28/news/export23440_1_segerstrom-kona-lanes-amf-bowling|page=1|date=May 28, 2003|access-date=January 2, 2014}}{{indent|2}}{{cite newspaper |last=Mann|first=Jack Jr.|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-04-08/news/export25124_1_kona-lanes-segerstroms-bowling|title=Simple change is Kona Lanes' end|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=April 8, 2003|access-date=August 15, 2015|quote=Upgrading the existing Kona Lanes facility to modern bowling standards and current building codes would be prohibitively expensive. It would be equally costly to tear it down to build a new bowling center from scratch. No one is to blame, and it is inappropriate to target [our] excellent landlords.}}</ref>

Plans to build a Kohl's department store on the site occupied by Kona Lanes and the already-closed Edwards Cinema Center and Ice Capades Chalet were approved by the city's planning commissioners, but they were met with resistance by neighbors who did not believe the store was a good fit for the area.<ref name=dailypilot/> In February 2003, Mayor Karen Robinson complained to commissioners that Costa Mesa's policy-makers were discarding recreation as part of the quality of residents' lives, and appealed their decision.<ref name=appeal>{{cite newspaper |first=Dierdre|last=Newman|title=Mayor Plans Appeal of Kona Lanes Vote|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-02-28/news/export26731_1_mesa-verde-homeowners-assn-robin-leffler-costa-mesa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101034300/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-02-28/news/export26731_1_mesa-verde-homeowners-assn-robin-leffler-costa-mesa|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 1, 2014|date=February 28, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref> The city council later rejected the proposal.<ref name=nokohls>{{cite newspaper |first=Dierdre|last=Newman|title=Costa Mesa Rakes Over the Kohl's|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-04-09/news/export25088_1_segerstrom-sons-costa-mesa-kohl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101034727/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-04-09/news/export25088_1_segerstrom-sons-costa-mesa-kohl|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 1, 2014|date=April 9, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013}}</ref> Meanwhile, the efforts to save Kona Lanes failed;<ref name=dailypilot/> it closed for good in May 2003 and was demolished soon after.<ref name=demolition>{{cite newspaper |last=Newman|first=Dierdre|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-05-31/news/export23343_1_bowling-alley-segerstroms-kona-lanes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009061637/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-05-31/news/export23343_1_bowling-alley-segerstroms-kona-lanes|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 9, 2014|title=Demolition nears for Kona Lanes bowling|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=May 31, 2003|access-date=August 15, 2015|postscript=. Sister center Java Lanes was leveled the following year. Powers, Daly, & DeRosa's other Googie-styled center, Anaheim Bowl, was demolished previously.}}</ref>

===Rezoning and new use=== The 7.5-acre parcel was rezoned in 2010 for senior housing that was expected to provide a new customer base for the restaurants and retailers already in the area and for commercial developments still to come.<ref name=coastmagazine>{{cite magazine|first=Martin|last=Brower|title=New Plans for Old Kona Lanes Site|url=http://www.coastmagazine.com/articles/site-1653--.html|magazine=Coast Magazine|location=Santa Ana, California|date=April 1, 2011|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231233720/http://www.coastmagazine.com/articles/site-1653--.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The lot had sat unused for about ten years before construction on the 215-unit complex began;<ref name=empty>{{cite newspaper |first=Bradley|last=Zint|title=Harbor Boulevard getting new look|url=https://www.latimes.com/tn-dpt-me-0924-harbor-boulevard-housing-20140923-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=September 24, 2014|access-date=December 11, 2016}}{{indent|2}}{{cite web|url=https://www.azulonapts.com/news/updates-from-azulon-at-mesa-verde/|title=Updates from Azulón at Mesa Verde|publisher=Azulón at Mesa Verde|date=October 4, 2013|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112142908/https://www.azulonapts.com/news/updates-from-azulon-at-mesa-verde/|url-status=live}}</ref> Azulón at Mesa Verde opened in 2014.<ref name=Azulon>{{cite newspaper |last=Zint|first=Bradley|title=55-and-Older Complex Opens in Costa Mesa|url=https://www.latimes.com/tn-dpt-me-1220-azulon-costa-mesa-20141219-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 19, 2014|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> Several dozen palm and eucalyptus trees were saved and replanted on the site.<ref name=trees>{{cite magazine|last=Francis|first=Kedric|url=http://www.coastmagazine.com/articles/touring-3124-visitors-aesthetic.html|title=The Azulón Aesthetic|magazine=Coast Magazine|location=Santa Ana, California|date=January 12, 2015|access-date=April 8, 2015|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112142907/https://www.ocregister.com/2015/01/12/the-azuln-aesthetic/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy== ===Closure and community response=== Activity at Kona Lanes increased in its final days, due to the nostalgic value of potential keepsakes. Manager Juanita Johnson said people were asking to buy furniture, office equipment, and more. "Some of that is older than I am."<ref name=ocweekly/> The more substantial items, including the original wood lanes,<ref name=wood>{{cite newspaper |first=Barbara|last=Thornburg|title=Barn Becomes Home in Renovation|url=https://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-gash24-2009oct24,0,3502104.story|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=October 24, 2009|access-date=January 2, 2014}}{{indent|2}}{{cite newspaper |first=Cindy|last=McNatt|title=OC Home: November 2013|url=http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/freedom/ochome_201311/index.php?startid=24|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|pages=24–26|date=November 17, 2013|access-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref> had been sold off prior to demolition,<ref name=latimes/> while dumpster divers hit the parking lot each day, looking for any items of interest.<ref name=ocweekly/>

The loss of Kona Lanes was a repeated topic at political events. One Costa Mesa city council candidate said he made a commitment to public service when the building was torn down with little resistance.<ref name=mcevoy>{{cite newspaper |first=Mona|last=Shadia|title=McEvoy: No Ties, No Strings|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2010-10-12/news/tn-dpt-1013-mcevoy-20101012_1_license-fees-viewpoints-math-teacher|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015040227/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2010-10-12/news/tn-dpt-1013-mcevoy-20101012_1_license-fees-viewpoints-math-teacher|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 15, 2010|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=October 12, 2010|access-date=January 4, 2014|quote=[Chris McEvoy:]... we never thought it would happen. But it got torn down. I was just so surprised that I didn't hear local officials kicking and screaming. At the time, a whole bunch of my buddies and I said we'd run.}}</ref> Another would-be council member agreed that the demolition should never have happened.<ref name=sneen>{{cite newspaper |first=Niyaz|last=Pirani|title=Economy, Recreation Hot Topics at Costa Mesa Forum|url=https://www.ocregister.com/news/candidates-110203-city-mesa.html|newspaper=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, California|date=October 23, 2008|access-date=January 4, 2014}}</ref>

In 2012, Costa Mesa planners began to upgrade The Triangle, a retail space along Harbor Boulevard two miles south of the Kona Lanes site.<ref name=3square/> Those plans featured a 10-lane bowling alley that opened in 2014.<ref name=cm55tb>{{cite newspaper |last=Bordas|first=Alexandria|title=Alley Owner Hopes to Pin Down Success|url=https://www.latimes.com/tn-dpt-me-0312-tavern-and-bowl-20140312-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 13, 2014|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> One city official said the center answered residents' longtime call for a new, upscale bowling facility.<ref name=3square>{{cite newspaper |first=Sarah|last=Peters|title=Revitalization in the Works for Triangle Square|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2012-04-03/news/tn-dpt-0404-triangle-20120403_1_bowling-alley-triangle-square-greenlaw-partners|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407045139/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2012-04-03/news/tn-dpt-0404-triangle-20120403_1_bowling-alley-triangle-square-greenlaw-partners|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 7, 2012|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=April 3, 2012|access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref>

===Historic roadside sign=== thumb|upright=1|The KONA LANES sign on display at the American Sign Museum in 2014 The huge, neon-lit KONA LANES BOWL sign was featured in publications by the Costa Mesa Historical Society, along with ''The Book of Tiki'' and ''Tiki Road Trip'';<ref>{{harvp|Kirsten|2000|p=197}}; {{harvp|Teitelbaum|2007|pp=84, 234}}; {{harvp|CMHS|2016|p=112}}.</ref> it also inspired professional paintings,<ref name=sign>{{cite web|title=Kona Lanes|url=http://www.tmichaelward.com/pages/konalanesnew.htm|website=Paintings by Michael Ward|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231220706/http://www.tmichaelward.com/pages/konalanesnew.htm|url-status=live}}{{indent|2}}{{cite web|title=Kona Lanes Bowling Painting Reproduction from Ross Studio|url=http://ross-art.com/ross-art.com/reproductions/other-themes/kona-lanes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219063402/http://ross-art.com/ross-art.com/reproductions/other-themes/kona-lanes|website=The Neon Road|archive-date=February 19, 2014|access-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> and was one of several Costa Mesa landmarks memorialized in a mural painted on the local Floyd's 99 Barbershop.<ref>{{cite newspaper |last=Casiano|first=Louis Jr.|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/07/barbershop-to-display-mural-with-iconic-costa-mesa-businesses/|title=45-foot mural at Floyd's 99 Barbershop will feature Mike Ness, Cuckoo's Nest|newspaper=The Orange County Register|date=August 7, 2017|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> In 2003, Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Katrina Foley led an effort to save the sign from the scrap heap.<ref name=sign4/>

Thanks in part to a private donation,<ref name=sign4>{{cite newspaper |first=Paul|last=Clinton|title=Piece of Kona Lanes to Live On|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-06-24/news/export22597_1_bowling-alley-american-sign-museum-paul-clinton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231234507/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2003-06-24/news/export22597_1_bowling-alley-american-sign-museum-paul-clinton|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2013|date=June 24, 2003|access-date=December 31, 2013|quote=... a crane ... removed the massive sign from its spot at the Mesa Verde Shopping Center. ... C. J. Segerstrom and Sons, who owns the center, donated the sign to the museum.}}</ref> the marquee was trucked 2,500 miles to Cincinnati, one of the first 20 signs accepted by the American Sign Museum.<ref name=1st20>{{cite newspaper |first1=Amanda|last1=Pennington|first2=Alicia|last2=Robinson|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2007-04-29/news/dpt-sundaystory29_1_arches-restaurant-newport-beach-dan-marcheano/8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017053217/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2007-04-29/news/dpt-sundaystory29_1_arches-restaurant-newport-beach-dan-marcheano/8|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2014|title=Sunday Story: Our 14 Wonders|page=8|newspaper=Daily Pilot|location=Costa Mesa, California|date=April 29, 2007|access-date=October 11, 2014}}</ref> The KONA LANES cabinet was refurbished and put on permanent display; the larger, badly rusted BOWL section tore and collapsed as it was offloaded in Cincinnati, and was not saved.<ref name=sign5>{{cite web|last=Swormstedt|first=Tod|title=We recently provided a minor contribution ...|url=https://www.facebook.com/americansignmuseum/posts/3914247431420|publisher=American Sign Museum|via=Facebook (official)|date=January 29, 2014|access-date=January 29, 2014|quote=... as the ['BOWL' section] was raised off the trailer, the sign began to bend in the middle and the crane cable loosened. The crane operator quickly raised the boom to tighten the cable, but the sign began to tear apart in the middle ... almost in two jagged sections.|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112142919/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Famericansignmuseum%2Fposts%2F3914247431420|url-status=live}}{{indent|2}}{{cite web|url=https://www.americansignmuseum.org/about/collection/200300710001|title=2003.0071.0001 Kona Lanes Neon Sign|website=americansignmuseum.org|access-date=December 4, 2020|quote=... the larger 'BOWL' section buckled and collapsed due to extensive structural rust. That section was scrapped.|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112142908/https://www.americansignmuseum.org/about/collection/200300710001|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also== * Ten-pin bowling

==References== ===Footnotes=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== * {{cite book|author=((Chattel, Inc.))|url=https://www.smgov.net/departments/PCD/agendas/Landmarks-Commission/2013/20130909/Chattel%20report%20%28234%20Pico%29.pdf|title=234 Pico Boulevard Historic Resource Assessment|publisher=City of Santa Monica|date=June 24, 2013|access-date=October 11, 2014}} * {{cite book|author=Costa Mesa Historical Society|title=Costa Mesa: 1940–2003|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-1576-6|date=2016|ref={{sfnRef|CMHS|2016}}}} * {{cite book|last1=Grasso|first1=John|last2=Hartman|first2=Eric R.|title=Historical Dictionary of Bowling|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-8108-8022-1|date=2014}} * {{cite book|title=Engineering News Record|publisher=McGraw-Hill|volume=163|page=126|isbn=|date=1959}} * {{cite book|title=The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars|last=Horvitz|first=Peter S.|publisher=S.P.I. Books, Inc.|isbn=1-56171-907-2|date=2002}} * {{cite book|last=Hurley|first=Andrew|title=Diners, Bowling Alleys and Trailer Parks: Chasing the American Dream in Postwar Consumer Culture|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-465-03187-0|date=2002}} * {{cite book|last=Kirsten|first=Sven A.|title=The Book of Tiki|date=2000|publisher=Taschen|isbn=978-3-8228-6417-3}} * {{cite book|last=Teitelbaum|first=James|title=Tiki Road Trip: A Guide to Tiki Culture in North America|year=2007|publisher=Santa Monica Press|edition=2nd|isbn=978-1-59580-019-0}} * {{cite book|url=http://usbcongress.http.internapcdn.net/usbcongress/bowl/tournaments/pdfs/usbcwomenschamp/2013/2013WCProgramYearbook.pdf|title=Women's Championships Program Yearbook 2013|author=United States Bowling Congress|author-link=United States Bowling Congress|year=2013|via=Internap|access-date=October 11, 2014|ref={{sfnRef|USBC|2013}}}}

==External links== {{Commons category multi|Googie architecture|Kona Lanes|width=18em}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081909/http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/california/socal/socalbowling/konalanes/index.htm Lost Treasures Kona Lanes at Roadside Peek] (includes several images pre- and post-1980s remodel and from the demolition, plus an interactive Google Street View image from 2011) * [https://synthetrix.com/bowl/index.htm Synthetrix Photos of the Forgotten - 50s Bowling Alleys] (includes nine images of Kona Lanes in its final days and two from the demolition) * [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22kona+lanes%22 Kona Lanes videos at YouTube] (includes concerts and footage of the demolition)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kona Lanes}} Category:1958 establishments in California Category:2003 disestablishments in California Category:Defunct bowling alleys in the United States Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1958 Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2003 Category:Sports venues in Costa Mesa, California Category:Demolished buildings and structures in California Category:Futurist architecture Category:Googie architecture in California Category:Modernist architecture in California Category:Googie architecture Category:Roadside attractions in California Category:Ten-pin bowling in the United States Category:Defunct sports venues in California