Throughout Wisconsin, a number of “vintage bowling alleys” defy the march of time to continue their decades-long histories of serving local communities. Several are more accurately described as bars with bowling, and one such business is Cherry Lanes Arcade Bar, situated just off the main drag in Sturgeon Bay.
The building — nearly a century old — includes just what its name suggests: bowling lanes (four, to be precise); an arcade stocked with pinball machines, vintage video games and even a tournament-grade Foosball table; and a bar, serving cocktails and mocktails with names like Ms. Pac-man, The Spare, Gutterball and Winner Winner.
The business opened in 1929 as Congress Recreation Parlors and has operated continuously since, undergoing an extensive renovation in 2018 that maintained the exposed brick walls and original terrazzo flooring. In early 2024, Moira Callan and Steve LeFevre purchased the business and building, which has a 7,500-square-foot space upstairs. Originally a ballroom, it’s now used primarily for storage. That space drew Callan to the business.
Seeking to address Sturgeon Bay’s need for affordable housing, the upstairs is being transformed into five one-bedroom apartments and three studio apartments. The $650,000 project is being funded, in part, by a grant from the Door County Workforce Housing Lending Corporation and a competitive Restore Main Street loan from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. If work proceeds as expected, units will be available to rent by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, downstairs, one of Wisconsin’s treasured “vintage bowling alleys” will live on. Says Callan: “Every time a patron comes in to bowl, every time they play a game, every time they buy a beer, it all goes to the housing development.”
Need more proof that the bowling alley is there to stay? The construction will include soundproofing, so tenants won’t hear the crashing pins below them.
Bowling Center Management Online 
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