Toronto The Lanes at O'Connor | 25.91m | 7s | EGC | Turner Fleischer

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Right-on, hopefully this kick starts some much needed new development to one of the most depressing parts of the city.:cool:

1401 O'CONNOR DR
Site Plan Approval 12 138115 STE 31 SA Ward 31
- Tor & E.York Mar 16, 2012 --- --- --- ---
Proposal to construct a 10 sty condo with a 2 sty podium containing 19 live work units (upper sty's to contain 177 residential), and 3 levels of below grade parking. Also See Rezoning.
 
http://dealblog.ca/2011/11/1401-o’connor-drive-–-closed-1400000/

OConnor.jpg
 
I've never been to the O'Connor Bowl but I remember bowling at Thorncliffe Bowlerama a couple years ago. It had a nice fun and retro feel to it. If only we had more (any, lol) in the West End.
 
Isn't O'Connor Bowl (1951) the oldest bowling alley in the city? I had many a birthday party there when I was a kid. It is still pretty much in it's full original state. It should definitely be saved from redevelopment. Building a new bowling alley elsewhere to replace it won't offer the same old fashioned atmosphere.
 
Sad to see this go. It was basically untouched from its original early 50s aesthetic.

I had a classic game here about 15 years ago with my brothers and our dad. I was trailing my older brother by a single pin as I entered the final frame. I had three shots and only needed two pins to win. Then all of a sudden, this group of girls showed up and started to watch and loudly cheer me on. To make matters worse, said brother gave us all ridiculous names that were displayed on the monitor above our lane. I took my first shot and it went into the gutter. At this point I was getting anxious and self conscious (being a shy teenager at the time and having a group of attractive girls watching me closely). I tried too hard to look really professional with my technique instead of just being relaxed and doing what I had done up until that point. Second shot now; gutter ball, again. Now the girls are really cheering and they say: Let's go ____ (all of them struggling to pronounce the name my brother assigned me)!? And this sort of made me chuckle as I threw my final ball and watched it taper off into the gutter, to the disappointment of the girls and the amusement and astonishment of my brothers and dad. I believe that was the last time we played there. We still talk about this game every now and then and have a good laugh.

On another note, here is a video by Soul Decision that was shot here in 2000:

 
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Funny. In the early 2000s Degrassi: The Next Generation shot an episode in there. I forget the plot line for that one but I did go to the location (it's a few minutes drive from the show's standing sets). Place was like a time capsule. I'm no bowler but it certainly had a vibe.

A new condo along this stretch will do wonders. There's so much dead/underused light industry in and around there that's dying for some repurposing and rejuvenation.
 
Yeah, it truly was a time capsule. I had many a birthday party there while growing up. Sad to see it go and be replaced by a pretty mediocre looking building. With a little effort, this place could have shone again. Unfortunately, it was decaying for years and was barely used. I guess with the internet and much more to do these days in terms of entertainment, bowling is no longer the draw it once was.

Agreed that O'Connor could really use an infusion of new life, but it sucks to lose essentially the only source of entertainment in that area. Had the surrounding lots been developed sooner, O'Connor Bowl would have had more business and might have survived indefinitely. It also would have made the inevitable condo intensification less sterile by providing something other than banal retail.
 

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