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Photograph by Oliver Woehrmann
Cherry Bowl was torn down last week to make way for a care facility.
Bowling alley makes way for care facility
Locals mourn loss of neighborhood landmark
By Joann Liao
It had 24 lanes and games cost $1.50 to $2.50. It was open 365 days a year, providing a hangout for teens and older people. But the Cherry Bowl Bowling Alley will soon be replaced by the Sunrise Assisted Living Complex.
The bowling alley has been at 623 S. Knickerbocker Drive for so long even the residents who have lived in Sunnyvale longest don't remember when it first opened. Marty Rawson, a Sunnyvale resident since 1958, said it surprised him when he drove past the site where the bowling alley used to be. "It was half-demolished," he said. "It seems like the other landmarks in the area that were being gotten rid of."
Rawson has fond memories of the old bowling alley and the people who worked there. "Years ago I used to bring the kids there for bowling league," he said. "It's kind of sad. It was a neat place where people could go."
The Sunrise Assisted Living company purchased the land in June 1998. The company, which is based in Fairfax, Va., owns 120 assisted-living homes across the country and internationally, according to Bill Lindstrom, development officer for Sunrise Assisted Living.
"There was a tremendous need [for an assisted living home]. The community is underserved in that respect," Lindstrom said. "Also, we're going to make the site a lot more attractive than what's there now." The company has plans for landscaping and implementing land art.
Sunrise Assisted Living provides housing and living assistance for the elderly who need help performing day-to-day activities. "We're 100 percent assisted living," Lindstrom said. "We cater strictly to the assisted-living market." None of the units will be leased to those who do not require living assistance.
According to Diana Peattie, planner with the city of Sunnyvale, the Sunrise Assisted Living developers proposed the project and received approval in December 1998. The permits for the demolition and building were issued within the last couple of weeks. Demolition began July 6.
"It's going to be a four-story assisted-living facility," Peattie said. "There are going to be 80 units."
The building is due to be completed in June 2000.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
