Remember last April when you saw U.S. Maple? That’s how the song “Goodbye Forever” describes the feeling of being at Fireside Bowl. Welcome to a Chicago landmark, a place where bowling balls and punk rock collided. This is Fireside Bowl.
Fireside Bowl began its life as an ice factory. But in the summer of 1941, Hank Sophie transformed it into a bowling alley. He was cashing in on the bowling craze sweeping mid-20th century America. Fireside Bowl started with 12 lanes. Pin-boys manually set up the pins.
The bowling alley thrived through the 1940s and 1950s. In 1956, Fireside expanded to 16 lanes. Automatic pinspotters were installed.
Hank Sophie owned Fireside Bowl until 1966. Rich Lapinski and Alec “Mac” McGuire then bought it. Lapinski became the sole owner in 1971. He ran it until 1990. His son Jim took over. The neighborhood changed. Fireside Bowl fell into disrepair.
In 1994, Fireside Bowl started showcasing live music part-time. Bowling lanes saw less use. Music filled the nights. However, the Bucktown Bowling & Drinking League still bowled on Mondays.
Brian Peterson and Dave Eaves promoted shows at Fireside. But in 1999, the City of Chicago wanted to expand Haas Park. Eminent domain threatened Fireside Bowl. Neighbors complained about the music. In 2003, the city dropped the lawsuit. The owners decided to return Fireside to its bowling roots.
Renovations took place in the summer of 2004. Automatic scoring and new lanes were installed. Fireside Bowl reopened as a bowling alley in the fall of 2004. It regained its status as Logan Square’s neighborhood bowling alley.
However, in 2010, Fireside Bowl started hosting live music again.
Fireside Bowl played a galvanizing role for punk scenes from the mid-90s to the mid-00s. Its legacy is compared to 924 Gilman in Berkeley and ABC No Rio in New York City. Fireside wasn’t a DIY community center like those venues. But it was still an epicenter for punk music.
You might recognize Fireside Bowl from movies and TV. External scenes from the 1992 film “Rapid Fire” feature it. The bowling scenes from the 2006 film “The Break-Up” were filmed here. Fireside also appeared in “The Chicago Code,” “Chicago Fire,” “Widows,” and “Chicago P.D.”
Allister and The Methadones, both Chicago bands, mention Fireside in their songs. Fireside Bowl remains a unique Chicago institution. It blends bowling and music, a true original.