There was a fear not too long ago that the iconic Shore dive Asbury Lanes would have to be shutdown for good or demolished because of structural and mechanical issues that plagued the popular bowling and music venue after 50 years of use.
But part of real estate investment company iStar's development plan of Asbury Park included restoring the 18-lane bowling alley, which opened in the 1960s and also later became a hip alternative music and arts venue before closing in October 2015, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Now, come Memorial Day weekend, Asbury Lanes will reopen as "the same anything-goes local hangout it always was and reborn as a state-of-the-art music venue," its new owners say.
"Everyone has an Asbury Lanes story," David Bowd, of Salt Hotels, who will operate the Lanes, said in the release. "Emotions ran higher with this project than with anything we've undertaken. What mattered to them matters to us: keeping the soul of this incredible venue while making changes necessary to guarantee its future."
To do that, iStar has taken a "back to the future approach," starting with the modest exterior that will illuminate the building's heritage and history.
"There's no flash," said Anda Andrei, the designer of the The Asbury, the luxury hotel that will be connected to the Lanes. "No one wants it too polished. This is a meaningful building. ... This is going to be the fun, open, wild Lanes everyone loves, except we won't have to worry that it might cave in."
Inside, the 18 lanes will have a "back-to-the-future" pin-setting and because every good Jersey destination needs a diner, the snack bar will have a newly built diner, "complete with classic interior and huge neon sign," according to the release. The 24/7 dinner will be a much-needed late night dining option in the increasingly popular nightlife town.
For those who are sentimental about Asbury Lanes, the famous bowling-pin sign will be reinstalled while the classic logo will receive "a modern twist" on the newly whitewashed exterior brick walls.
"We want to amplify what's already here," Brian Cheripka, senior vice president of iStar, said in the release. "We have an opportunity to capture Asbury Park's incredible sense of place through the properties we are developing and although it involved a much greater investment than building a new building, we chose to restore as much of the original building as we could."
To continue the Lanes rich music tradition, iStar has also partnered with The Bowery Presents — a New York-based live-music promoter that books Terminal 5, Brooklyn Steel and Music Hall of Williamsburg in the city — who "will bring a curated mix of both leading and up-and-coming talent to the Lanes' re-invented stage."
Bowd told the Asbury Park Sun he expects the venue, which will now have a capacity of 726 (more than double the old site) to host around 150 concerts a year, ranging from national touring bands to local acts.
In 2015, iStar announced a multi-billion investment in more than a mile stretch of Asbury Park that includes 2,100 housing units, The Asbury, which is a 110-room luxury hotel, and other mixed-use projects.