It’s clear that AMF South Park Lanes has a special place in many hearts in South Milwaukee and the South Shore. With 60 years of history in this city, it’s no surprise.
I’m wondering — what’s your favorite memory of the bowling alley? Post your comments below.
Also, I received a statement from the company today. Here it is …
After a comprehensive analysis, we recently made the decision to close our AMF South Park 586 location. This was a very difficult decision and we are grateful to the community for their patronage and support over the last 60 years. We encourage West Allis area residents to visit our other nearby AMF locations: AMF Oklahoma Ave. or AMF Bowlero Lanes for the outstanding bowling experience that is synonymous with the Bowlmor AMF brand.
I am seeking to have AMF answer additional questions about the future of the property and will keep you posted.
Also, NOW has an in-depth story on the closure of AMF Waukesha on Sunday. I suspect the dynamics of the situations are similar. From it:
Martin, however, provided some insight into the closing. She said AMF merged with Strike Holdings LLC, or “Bowlmor,” to form a new company name Bowlmor AMF last year, after AMF filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2012. Martin said some time after the transaction, Bowlmor AMF put some of its centers up for sale.
“If they didn’t sell in a certain timeframe they were going to close the doors,” Martin said. “I don’t know if they were trying to sell it to another bowling corporation. We would only hope, but it’s highly unlikely, that it will now stay a bowling center unless someone wants to come in and buy it.”
Martin said there had been rumblings that the facility would close but added that the “doors closed earlier than expected.”
“We heard rumors about it for the last several years that Waukesha is closing, and it didn’t,” Martin said. “So when Bowlmor came in we all said ‘This is great.’ But obviously it was not.”
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