Appendix E - City of Redwood City

Transcription

Appendix E
....
CAREY & CO. INC.
A. RCHITECTURE
Mel’s Bowl
2580 E1 Camino Real
Redwood City, California
Historic Resource Evaluation
April 15, 2011
INTRODUCTION
David J. Powers & Associates has requested Carey & Co.’s
assistance in preparing a study of Mel’s Bowl (now /~MF Redwood
Lanes) at 2580 E1 Camino Real in Redwood City, California.
Constructed in 1959-1960, the bowling alley is located on an
approximately 2.55-acre rectangular parce! on the southwest side
of E1 Camino Real, between its intersections with Center Street
and Carlos Avenue. The parcel includes the bowling alley
building, a large paved parking lot, and a free-standing sign.
This ~report provides a description and historical summary of the
bowling alley as well as an assessment of its significance,
integrity, and eligibility for listing in the California Register
of Historical Resources (CRHR) and in the National Register of
Historical Places (NRHP).
SUMMARY
Carey & Co. has determined that Mel’s Bowl does not appear to be
eligible for the NRHP or CRHR, and it does not appear to be
locally significant. While the property can be associated with
the Boicelli family, early settlers of-Redwood City, the family’s
association to Mel’s Bowl did not rise above that of landlord.
The building is also generally associated with postwar
urbanization of Redwood City and the rise in popularity of
bowling, but it does not have a significant association with
these trends in history. The building typifies postwar bowling
alley architecture and was designed by master architect Goodwin
Steinberg, but it does not stand out as significant in terms of
architectural style or type and it does not appear to be a
significant commission that captures the essence of or a
particular chapter in the career of Goodwin Steinberg. The Mel’s
Bowl sign, however, does appear to be significant locally and at
the state level under Criterion 3 as a good example of a midcentury Googie sign.
METHODOLOGY
Carey & Co. prepared this report by conducting a site visit on
March i0, 2011, at which time Carey & Co. evaluated the
existing condition, historic features, and architectural
significance of the bowling alley. Carey & Co. also undertook
archival research at the Redwood City Planning Department, the
Redwood City Public Library Local History Room, the San Mateo
County Assessor’s Office, and the San Mateo County Historical
Society.
Old Engine Co. N’2 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
415.77L0773 f. 415.773.1773
Mel’s Bowl, Redwood City, California
Draft Historic Resource Evaluation Report
April 15, 2011
The firm reviewed building permits, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps,
historic newspapers and photographs, genealogical records, and
other primary and secondary resources regarding the history of
Redwood City, people associated with the subject property, and
local and regional bowling alleys and activities during the midtwentieth century.
On March 9, 2011, Carey & Co. consulted the Northwest Information
Center (NWIC) California Historical Resources Information System
(CHRIS) and verified that the building at 2580 E1 Camino Real is
not currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places
or the California Register of Historical Resources, nor is it
designated as a California State Historical Landmark or
California State Point of Historical Interest. No California
Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 forms exist for the
property, indicating that it has not been previously identified
or documented in a reconnaissance survey and has not been
assigned a California Historical Resource Status Code (CHRSC).
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BUILDING DESCRIPTION
The one-story bowling alley faces northeast onto E1 Camino Real
between its intersections with Center Street (northwest) and
Carlos Avenue (southeast). The property is located approximately
one mile southeast of Redwood City city center. E1 Camino Real is
lined primarily with small-scale commercial properties, which
flank the subject property and face it across E1 Camino Real.
Behind the subject property (to the southwest) is a neighborhood
of single-family residences.
The site is flat and the majority of the subject property is
paved with asphalt for use as a parking area. The building is set
back from the street, with most of the paved area located between
it and the street. At the street, a low concrete curb fronts the
lot, with two driveway aprons providing vehicle access to the
parking lot from E1 Camino Real. A free-standing, vertically
oriented, neon sign is located at the front of the lot. Rendered
in a typically mid-century decorative aesthetic, the sign reads
"Mel’s Bowl" and has sign boards at the bottom for temporary
lettering. Two tall utilitarian light poles are located in the
parking lot.
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Mel’s Bowl Redwood City, California
April 15, 2011
Mel " s Bowl Sign
The generally rectangular-plan building is of tilt-up concrete
construction and features pebble dash and wood board-and-batten
siding. The roof consists of a broad shallow gable running
northwest-southeast with a border of flat roof around the edges;
flat roof transitions to a shed roof across the front of the
building. A broad, shallow gable that is oriented on a northeastsouthwest axis and is surrounded by a border of flat roof covers
a projecting bay on the north corner of the building. Rolled
composition clads the roof. Low planters, sometimes surrounded by
a concrete curb, border the base of the primary (northeast)
faGade; they contain primarily low plants and shrubs, with three
small cypress trees located at the east corner of the building.
Primary facade, looking southwest
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A wide concrete and pebble dash walkway leads from the parking
lot to the main entrance, which is located near the center of the.
primary facade. A broad shed roof extends from the main roof; it
is supported by square wood posts along its left side and an
"adobe" brick wall along its right side. The entry consists of
a glazed, anodized aluminum-frame assembly composed of fullyglazed double-doors flanked by narrow sidelights and surmounted
by a narrow transom. Low solid dados with large, single-lite,
fixed windows above flank the entry door assembly. To the right
of the entry, a ground-level planter lines the entry walkway and
abuts the base of the thick "adobe" brick wall, which extends
through the roofline. This wall separates the entry from a
projecting bay on the right side of the primary facade.
The bowling alley’s restaurant is located within the projecting
bay. It features a secondary entrance on its left side, which
consists of a flush wood door made to look like it is built of
vertical boards. It has heavy strap hinges and is surmounted by a
barrel vaulted fabric awning that extends over the walkway
leading up to the door. Four large, single-lite fixed windows
flank the entry. They are located over board-and-batten dados.
Brick piers flank the door and each window.
Two similar windows flanked by brick piers wrap the east corner
of the projecting bay, where the "adobe" wall does not extend
to its corner. The right side of the projecting bay is clad with
board-and-batten siding and is otherwise featureless. The left
side of the primary facade is clad with board-and-batten siding
and .features a series of tall narrow arrow-slit windows along its
length. The windows are fitted with a single pane of textured
glass and have small wood sills at the bottom. At the far left
end of the primary facade, a board-and-batten fence with
~adobe" brick piers wraps the east corner of the building,
enclosing a patio. The primary facade terminates in broad boxed
eaves with a metal fascia. Over the projecting bay on the right
side of the facade, a low gable rises above the flat roof and has
a large metal housing for an HVAC unit. The gable end has broad
eaves and a louvered metal vent at the center.
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Primary entrance
A paved driveway that provides access to the rear of the lot
borders the southeast facade. The facade features panels of
pebble dash cladding with sharply angled concrete piers between.
Each panel also has a narrow vertical recessed strip of stucco
along each side, flanking the piers. At the right side of the
facade is a recessed secondary entrance that consists of a set of
fully-glazed, anodized aluminum-frame double doors surmounted by
a transom and flanked by single-lite sidelights. The recessed
entry vestibule has a stepped soffit clad with textured stucco
and features three projecting wood beams held by vertical twopronged brackets that extend up the vertical face of the soffit.
The side walls of the recessed entry vestibule are clad with
"adobe" brick, which on the right side, continues as a high
wall enclosing part of the patio at the east corner of the
building. The southeast facade terminates in a flat, eaveless
roofline.
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Southeast facade and east corner
Secondary entrance on southeast facade
The southwest (rear) facade of the building is bordered by a
smaller paved parking area. Like the southeast facade it is clad
alternating panels of pebble dash and angled concrete piers. Most
of these panels also have narrow vertical recessed strips of
stucco along each side. At the center of the facade is a
projecting bay that has a secondary entrance at its center. The
entrance consists of a set of flush metal double doors surmounted
by solid metal transom panels. On the right side wall of the
projecting bay is a single flush wood pedestrian door. The
southwest facade terminates in a flat eaveless roofline.
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Southwest (rear) facade
The northwest facade closely abuts the property line and is not
readily visible due to a fence and vegetation that obscure it. A
board-and-batten fence appears to create a utility enclosure on
the left side of the facade, while a section of the facade near
the center is clad with "adobe" brick. The right side of the
facade features pebble dash panels and angled concrete piers
identical to those on the southwest and southeast facades. A
small section of the roofline on the left side of the facade has
overhanging eaves, while the remainder of the facade terminates
in a flat eaveless roofline.
Physical Integrity
The most recent Sanborn Fire Insurance maps available for Redwood
City date to 1950. They predate the construction of Mel’s Bowl
and do not include the area where the bowling alley is located
today. However, graphic evidence of the building’s original
appearance is available in the form of a floor plan and plot plan
filed with a property appraisal report at the San Mateo County
Assessor’s Office. Based on this illustration of the building and
building permit records reviewed at the Redwood City Planning
Department, the bowling alley seems to have changed little from
the time of its construction. No major additions or alterations
appear to have been made to the building.
According to building permit records, roof trusses failed in
April 1962 and were repaired the following month. Unspecified
interior alterations were made in June 1967. In 1969 fire damage
was repaired, and in 1976 some movable partitions were installed.
On the whole, these are not considered significant changes and
the interior alterations, although unspecified, do not seem to
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have changed the basic floor plan of the building from the way it
appears in the property appraisal report.
Based on visual observation, no other undocumented changes to the
building appear to have made, and therefore its physical
integrity is considered intact.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Redwood City
As with much of the land in Spanish California, after the
secularization of the Catholic Missions, vast tracts were granted
to private citizens. The area where Mel’s Bowl is located was
part of the 69,000-acre Rancho de las Pulgas, the largest land
grant on the San Francisco peninsula. It encompassed present-day
Redwood City and surrounding communities. The rancho was owned by
the family of Don Jose Dario Arg~ello, a high-ranking officer in
the Spanish army and governor of California.I
With the signing of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, which ended
the War with Mexico early in 1848, California became a territory
of the United States. A few days later, John Marshall discovered
gold in the Sierra and soon thereafter California witnessed a
huge population boom of gold seekers and entrepreneurs who hoped
to make their fortunes. Like many ranchos, Rancho de las Pulgas
fell subject to Gold Rush era settlers squatted who claimed land
as their own. The Land Act of 1851, however, established a legal
process through which Mexican claimants could try establish
ownership. Simon M. Mezes, a Basque lawyer who had arrived in
California in 1850, accomplished this feat for the Arguello
family, securing the family’s title to over 35,000 acres of their
land claims. As payment, Mezes earned one quarter of that land,
including present-day downtown Redwood City. 2
Upon acquiring ownership of this land, Mezes established the town
of "Mezesville" and began to sell lots. Squatters were forced
to pay for parcels or leave town. They complied with the law, but
continued to call the lumber town they had created ~Redwood" or
"Redwood Landing." When a post office was established in 1856,
it was called Redwood City, all but officially securing the name.
That year, Redwood City also became the county seat of San Mateo
County. The town grew rapidly once the railroad was routed
City of Redwood City, "History of Redwood City," http://www.redwoodcity.org (accessed 3/18/2011).
Ibid; "Simon M. Mezes," http://www.redwoodcity.org (accessed 3/25/2011).
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through the area in 1863, and in 1868 Redwood City became the
first town in the county to be incorporated. It continued to
thrive on the commerce and industry that took place on the shore
of San Francisco Bay. During the 1920s, the small-scale
commercial emphasis of Redwood City’s downtown shifted to E1
Camino Real, spreading out along the prominent thoroughfare.3
Like much of the San Francisco Bay Area, Redwood City witnessed a
dramatic population boom during World War II and the postwar era,
rising from 12,400 in 1940 to 46,300 in 1960. Farmlands became
suburban tracts and twenty-five square mileswere incorporated
into the city limits. By 1967, the city counted "sixteen
elementary schools, two junior high schools, two high schools, a
community college, [and] two hospitals."4 While the downtown
remained the center for finance and government, the port expanded
its economy to non-marine related industries, particularly in the
field of high technology. Ampex Corporation, a developer of
magnetic tape and recording equipment, located its headquarters
in Redwood City in 1963, and computer giant, Oracle, moved to the
city in the 1980s.s
E1 Camino Real
Mel’s Bowl is located on E1 Camino Real, a major thoroughfare
with a history dating back to the Spanish era. E1 Camino Real
(the Royal Road) refers to the route taken by Spanish
missionaries as they traveled north from San Diego to Sonoma to
establish the Missions. It continued to be a significant route
connecting Spanish interests (including presidios, pueblos, and
missions), facilitating the circulation of people, goods, and
information throughout Spanish California and into the Mexican
and American periods. In 1902, the California Federation of
Women’s Clubs and the Native Daughters of the Golden West
embarked upon an effort to memorialize and the mission road by
installing its distinctive bell poles along the route and
supporting rehabilitation of the old missions. They traded upon
nostalgia for California’s Spanish past and the popularity of the
modern automobile to build tourism and commerce in California.6
E1 Camino Real became one of California’s first state highways,
and the first portion to be paved was located in San Mateo
3 "History of Redwood City; ....Simon M. Mezes."
4 "History of Redwood City."
5 Ibid.
6 American Roads. "El Camino Real, California’s Coast Route,"
http ://www. americanroads .us/autotrails/elcaminoreal.html (3 / 18/2011 ). California Highways, "Trails and
Roads: El Camino Real," http://www.cahighways.org/elcamino.htmi (3/18/2011); Phoebe S. Kropp,
California Vieja: Culture and Memory in a Modern Place (Berkeley, 2007), 47-102.
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County. Since that time, various sections have been designated as
portions of other highways, state routes, county roads and city
streets. In Redwood City and along the length of much of the San
Francisco peninsula, E1 Camino Real takes the form of a major
city street. In proximity to Mel’s Bowl, it is a multi-lane road
lined primarily by commercial properties.
2580 E1 Camino Real
In 1900, the Boicelli family purchased a 22-acre parcel of land
that included the property where Mel’s Bowl now stands. They
called the property Boicelli Ranch.v Historic photos show that a
small, modest, wood-frame cottage - the Boicelli home - was
located on the ranch, possibly in close proximity to the route of
E1 Camino Real.8 The property passed down through the family and
eventually three grandsons of the original owners - Anthony,
Silvio and Charles Boicelli -- inherited it. It is assumed that
the property was subdivided and parcels sold off during this
time, as an Eichler-designed residential development was
constructed to the southwest of the current bowling alley
property in 1948 (along Northumberland Avenue, southwest of
Cypress Street).9 The Bocelli brothers retained the parcel where
the bowling alley now stands and another 2.5-acre parcel between
the bowling alley and Cypress Street.
The Boicelli’s leased the parcel nearest to E1 Camino Real to Mel
Weiss, who is best known as the co-founder of the well-known
Mel’s Drive-In restaurant chain. He was also the proprietor of a
number of bowling alleys. The first Mel’s Bowl was located in San
Jose (Mel’s Palm Bowl, 1958, no longer extant) and was succeed
soon thereafter by Saratoga Lanes (1958, San Jose, no longer
extant), Mel’s Redwood Bowl in Redwood City (subject property)
and Mel’s Southshore Bowl in Alameda (extant). Master architect
Goodwin Steinberg designed all four bowling alleys; the latter
two are nearly identical in design, likely having been
constructed around the same time (1959-1960).1°
On August 21, 1959, Redwood City granted Mel’s Inc. a building
permit to construct a 40-1ane bowling alley with a restaurant,
billiard room, cocktail lounge, and child-care nursery for a cost
of $372,000. The permit lists Goodwin B. Steinberg of Los Altos
as the architect, Rutherford & Chekene as the structural
7 "The Boicellis’ Viewpoint," 13 May 1966. (Letter to the editor, unidentified newspaper clipping from San
Mateo Historical Society collection.)
8 Historic photographs, Redwood City Public Library, Local History Room.
9 "The Boicellis’ Viewpoint."
10 Dill Design Group, "Historical and Architectural Evaluation: Fiesta Lanes and Meineke Discount
Mufflers," October 9,2002
(http://www.archivesandarchitecture.com/ProjectRepository/FiestaLanes_100902.pdf, accessed March 28,
2011), 8.
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engineer, and Sidney P. Lathrop, of Oregon, designed the timber
roof trusses. C.W. Gresham constructed the building, and final
inspection took place in April 1960.11
The building has undergone few changes since its original
construction. On April 25, 1962, the bowling alley’s roof trusses
failed. They were repaired within the month. In 1965, the
Boicelli family entered a heated argument with the City of
Redwood City over the establishment of a special assessment
district that included their parcel to the rear of the Mel’s Bowl
property. The assessment district would have enabled the routing
of a new street, a continuation of Northumberland Avenue to
Leahy Street, through that parcel and would have been constructed
at the Boicelli’s expense. The family lost the argument and, the
following year, also failed to have the new street named in the
family’s honor. These events do not seem to have had an effect on
the operations of Mel’s Bowl.
In 1969, a fire occurred at the bowling alley, necessitating
repairs. Mel Weiss’s involvement with the bowling alley ended
around this time as well, and the Boicelli family entered into a
long-term lease with American Recreation Centers, Inc., which
took over operation of the bowling alley. The bowling alley
continued to be known as Mel’s Bowl. American Recreation Centers
is known to have operated twenty-six other bowling alleys
throughout California at the time.12
In June 1971, Mel’s Bowl hosted the Winston-Salem Bowling Open.
R.J. Reynolds tobacco company sponsored the event, which required
a few temporary improvements to the bowling alley, such as
signage and the installation of bleacher seating. According to a
1979 Haine’s Directory, the prospering bowling alley also
conducted business through the Bradbury Pro Shop and the Redwood
House Restaurant, both housed within the facility.
Silvio Boicelli died in 1973, followed by Charles, and in 2009 by
Anthony Boicelli. Ownership of the Mel’s Bowl property passed to
the next generation of Boicellis. The bowling alley remains in
operation under the management of AMF, a nationwide bowling alley
company. It is officially known as AMF Redwood Lanes, but
continues to commonly be called Mel’s Bowl.
Bowling and Bowling Alleys
The sport of bowling dates back to prehistoric times, with
archeological evidence of ball-and-pin games found in ancient
Original building permit (#21033), 21 August 1959.
"Property Problems," 22 June 1977. (Letter to the editor, unidentified newspaper clipping from San
Mateo Historical Society collection.)
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Egyptian tombs. It was also known to have existed in medieval
Germany in the form of a game called kegal, which had religious
implications involving the absolution of sin with the downing of
pins. Bowling persisted in European courts and, with
colonization, eventually became a popular betting game in early
America. After being banned for its sordid association with
gambling in some areas of the country, the American Bowling
Congress form in 1895 and created the first standardized rules.
Bowling associations for men and women proliferated, and the
sport continued to grow in popularity. Rubber balls replaced wood
balls early in the twentieth century, and the Brunswick company
introduced modern "mineralite" balls in 1914.13
While bowling appealed both to the elite and the working classes
through the early twentieth century, it became increasingly
associated with the latter. Wealthy Americans installed small
bowling alleys in their mansions or bowled at alleys in upscale
hotels. More commonly, however, working-class men in urban
centers found bowling recreation at saloons, leading to bowling’s
strong association with gambling, drinking, and general
delinquency. As one historian has written, ~The one thing the
sport lacked was a glittering image." 14 Before World War I, women
who traded their apron strings for bowling shoes were considered
rebels for invading the dingy, smoky, kerosene-lit alleys.15
Prohibition and the Great Depression marked a turning point in
the history of bowling. The ban on alcohol forced saloons to
closed and, along with them, the bowling alleys located inside.
New alleys opened in association with ice cream parlors and soda
fountains. As unemployment skyrocketed during the early 1930s,
Americans, especially working-class American who were so hard hit
by the economic disaster, sought cheap entertainment. Bowling
offered one solution, and leagues of groups of men with labor and
industry associations grew in number. Women’s bowling leagues
grew in number as well.16
Bowling’s popularity gained momentum during World War II and the
postwar period. The military built over 4,500 bowling facilities
on American bases for the recreation of servicemen and women.
Introduced to bowling, these military personnel undoubtedly
helped bring the bowling craze to fruition in the post-war years.
In the 1950s, the first television coverage of "Championship
13 Help with Bowling, "The History and Origins of Bowling," http://helpwithbowling.com/history-originsof-bowling.php (3/18/2011).
t4 Doug Schmidt, "They Came to Bowl: How Milwaukee Became America’s Tenpin Capital," The
Wisconsin Magazine ofHistoryI, Vol. 91, no. 1 (Autumn 2007), 52.
L5 Ibid.
L6 Dill Design Group, "Fiesta Lanes," 9; Shcmidt, "They Came to Bowl," 52.
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Bowling" was aired and other bowling programs followed, further
promoting bowling among the general public. Technological
advances, such as the introduction of mechanical pin-setting
machines in 1952, eliminated the need for human "pin boys" and
increased the efficiency of the game. Other advances at the time
included foul detectors; the "Pindicator, " which illustrated on
a screen the number of pins left standing; hand driers; and
automatic under-lane ball return devices. The 1950s also gave
rise to theme bowling, such as "lunar bowling" by black light
and prize bowling.I~
Suburbanization also contributed to the proliferation of bowling
alleys and its dramatic increase in popularity. Postwar
affluence, combined with technological advances in home
construction and mortgage incentives for home builders and
buyers, fostered unprecedented numbers of Americans from a wide
range of socio-economic backgrounds to buy home. Bowling alleys
became a common feature of these new communities, where workingclass Americans transformed the bowling alley into a symbol of
wholesome, mainstream consumer culture. Large, free-standing, 4060 lane alleys promoted bowling as a family sport by providing
child-care facilities and sit-down restaurants. The traditional
inclusion of alcohol and billiards was adapted into upscale and
tightly controlled cocktail lounges and pool tables, which were
tucked away in separated rooms. Women’s leagues were formed and
typically played on weekday mornings, while afternoons were
dominated by junior leagues for children.I~
On the West Coast, bowling was particularly popular in Southern
California. Between 1960 and 1962, developer Louis Lesser was
responsible for building nine expensive and well-appointed
bowling alleys. With automated pin-setters, billiard rooms,
child-care centers, coffee shops, cocktail lounges, expansive
parking lots, and live entertainment, these bowling alleys became
extremely popular social Qenues.~9 The San Francisco Bay Area
equivalent of Louis Lesser was the firm of Powers, Daly & DeRosa,
who created what was termed the ~California Style" for bowling
alleys. They designed bowling alleys according to a theme, such
as Persian at the Futurama Bowl in San Jose, which featured an
elaborately decorated Magic Carpet Room cocktail lounge.~° While
these were in the upper echelon of bowling alleys, a number of
contemporaneous alleys are known to have been constructed
throughout the Bay Area, including but not limited to Serra Bowl
17 Help with Bowling. Dill Design Group/Archives and Architecture.
is Dill Design Group, "Fiesta Lanes;" Andrew Hurley, Diners, Bowling Alleys, and Trailer Parks: Chasing
the American Dream in Postwar Consumer Culture (New York, 2001), 1-18.
19 Wikipedia, "Bowling," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling (3/18/2011)
20 Dill Design Group, "Fiesta Lanes."
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(Daly City), Bel-Mateo Bowl (San Mateo), Manor Bowl (San
Leandro), Cloverleaf Bowl (Fremont), Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl
(Dublin), Alma Bowl (San Jose), Lenny’s Ann Darling Bowl (San
Jose), Cambrian Bowl (San Jose), Plaza Lanes (San Jose), Saratoga
Bowl (San Jose), and the three Mel’s Bowls. It was within this
atmosphere of bowling popularity and glamour that Mel’s Redwood
Bowl was born.
Goodwin Steinberg, Architect
Left: Steinberg residence, Los ~it~s. Center: Del Monte Hyat.
Right:
Temple Beth Am. Courtesy of www.colornotemusic.com (accessed March 23,
2011).
Goodwin "Goody" Steinberg (1922-2010) designed Mel’s Bowl. Born
and raised in Chicago, Steinberg was the son of an architect. He
followed in his father’s footsteps, studying at the Illinois
Institute of Technology under modernist master Mies van der Rohe,
and at the ~coles d’Art Am@ricaines at the Palace of
Fountainbleau, in France, under Princeton University Professor
Jean Labatut. Having passed through the San Francisco Bay Area
with the Air Forcein 1944, Steinberg decided to relocate to
California permanently in1952. He established Steinberg
Architects a year later and built it into an practice with
multiple offices in the United States and abroad. Steinberg’s
portfolio included a wide range of project types, including
residences, corporate campuses and religious buildings. Some of
his most renowned projects include the Tech Museum of Innovation
in San Jose, buildings for the Stanford Research Center, and
restorations of both the Santa Clara County Courthouse in San
Jose and the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey. He is also celebrated
for his design of Congregation Beth Am, a Jewish school and
synagogue in Los Altos Hills, which was inspired by his own faith
and sense of community. Beyond architecture, Steinberg was known
as an advocate for regional planning and the conservation of the
open space of around Los Altos.21
21 "Steinberg, Goodwin" (obit), San Francisco Chronicle, 17 December 2010.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-12-17/news/25205604 1 jewish-studies-american-institute-award-winninghomes (3/18/2011); "Celebrated Architect Goodwin Steinberg,89, Dies after Illness," Palo Alto
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Steinberg designed at least four bowling alleys in the Bay Area,
including the three Mel’s Bowls (in San Jose, 1957; Redwood City
1959-1960; and Alameda cao1960) and Saratoga Lanes in San Jose
(1959). According to an interview he conducted with Dill Design
Group in 2002, Steinberg felt that Mel’s Southshore Bowl in
Alameda was the best executed of the four designs and that Mel’s
Palm Bowl and Saratoga Bowl were not executed according to his
original designs.22 Notably, Mel’s Southshore Bowl and Mel’s
Redwood Bowl appear to be identical in plan and facade
organization and are very similar in exterior treatment.
Online(www.paloaltoonline.com, accessed March 23, 2011); "Goodwin Steinberg," obituary, San Jose
Mercury News/San Mateo County Times, December 17, 2010 (www.legacy.com, accessed March 23,2011);
"Goodwin Steinberg, Legendary Los Altos Architect, Dies at 88," Los Altos Town Crier, December 2010
(www.losaltosonline.com, accessed March 23, 2011); "Goody Steinberg Fine Art Limited Edition Prints,"
(http://colornotemusic.com!Color%20Note%20Music/index.html, accessed March 23, 2011); Goodwin
Steinberg, From the Ground Up: Building Silicon Valley (Stanford, 2002).
z2 Dill Design Group, "Fiesta Lanes," 8.
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FEDERAL REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND CRITERIA
National Historic Preservation Act, as Amended (1966)
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) defines the Federal
Government’s role in historic preservation and establishes
partnerships between states, local governments, Indian tribes,
and private organizations and individuals. It authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to expand and maintain the National
Register of Historic Places and establishes the Advisory Council
on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and state and tribal historic
preservation offices.
It also requires federal agencies to consider the effects of
their undertakings on historic resources and to give the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) a reasonable opportunity
to comment on those undertakings. A lead federal agency will be
responsible for project compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA
and its implementing regulations, set forth by the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.
National Register of Historic Places
National Register Bulletin Number 15, How to Apply the National
Register Criteria for Evaluation, describes the Criteria for
Evaluation as being composed of two factors. First, the property
must be "associated with an important historic context."2~ The
National Register identifies four possible context types, of
which at least one must be applicable at the national, state, or
local level. As listed under Section 8, ~Statement of
Significance," of the National Register of Historic Places
Registration Form, these are:
A.
Property is associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
B.
Property is associated with the lives of persons
significant in our past.
Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a
type, period, or method of construction or represents the work
of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents
a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
23 U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the
National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15 (Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office, 1997), 3.
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D.
April 15, 2011
Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information
important to prehistory or history.24
Second, for a property to qualify under the National Register’s
Criteria for Evaluation, it must also retain "historic integrity
of those features necessary to convey its significance."25 While
a property’s significance relates to its role within a specific
historic context, its integrity refers to "a property’s physical
features and how they relate to its significance." ~ To determine
if a property retains the physical characteristics corresponding
to its historic context, the National Register has identified
seven aspects of integrity:
Location is the place where the historic property was constructed
or the place where the historic event occurred.
Design is the combination of elements that create the form,
plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.
Materials are the physical elements that were combined or
deposited during a particular period of time and in a
particular pattern or configuration to form a historic
property.
Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a
particular culture or people during any given period in
history or prehistory.
Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or
historic sense of a particular period of time.
Association is the direct link between an important
historic event or person and a historic property.2v
Since integrity is based on a property’s significance within a
specific historic context, an evaluation of a property’s
integrity can only occur after historic significance has been
established.~
24 U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, How to Complete the National Register
Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997),
75.
25 National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15, 3.
26 Ibid., 44.
27Ibid., 44-45.
28Ibid., 45.
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California Environmental Quality Act Statute and Guidelines
When a proposed project may cause a substantial adverse change to
a historical resource, CEQA requires the lead agency to carefully
consider the possible impacts before proceeding (Public Resources
Code Sections 21084 and 21084.1). CEQA equates a substantial
adverse change in the significance of a historical resource with
a significant effect on the environment (Section 21084.1). The
Act explicitly prohibits the use of a categorical exemption
within the CEQA Guidelines for projects which may cause such a
change (Section 21084).
A "substantial adverse change" is defined in Guidelines
Section 15064.5(b) as ~physical demolition, destruction,
relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate
surroundings such that the significance of a historical resource
would be materially impaired." Furthermore, the "significance
of an historic resource is materially impaired when a project
~ demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those
physical characteristics of a historical resource that convey its
historical significance and that justify its inclusion in, or
eligibility for inclusion in the California Register of
Historical Resources;" or ~demolishes or materially alters in
an adverse manner those physical characteristics that account for
its inclusion in a local register of historical resources..." or
"demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those
physical characteristics of a historical resource that convey its
historical significance and that justify its eligibility for
inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources as
determined by a lead agency for purposes of CEQA. "
For the purposes of CEQA (Guidelines Section 15064.5), the term
"historical resources" shall include the following:
i. A resource listed in, or determined to be eligible by the
State Historical Resources Commission, for listing in the CRHR
(Public Resources Code §5024.1, Title 14 CCR, Section 4850 et
seq.).
2. A resource included in a local register of historical
resources, as defined in Section 5020.i(k) of the Public
Resources Code or identified as significant in a historical
resource survey meeting the requirements of. Section 5024.1(g)
of the Public Resources Code, shall be presumed to be
historically or culturally significant. Public agencies must
treat any such resource as significant unless the
preponderance of evidence demonstrates that it is not
historically or culturally significant.
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3. Any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record, or
manuscript which a lead agency determines to be historically
significant or significant in the architectural, engineering,
scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social,
political, military, or cultural annals of California, may be
considered to be a historical resource, provided the lead
agency’s determination is supported by substantial evidence in
light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be
considered by the lead agency to be ~historically
significant" if the resource meets the criteria for listing
in the CRHR (Public Resources Code Section 5024.1, Title 14
CCR, Section 4852) as follows:
A. Is associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history
and cultural heritage;
B. Is associated with the lives of persons important in our
past;
C. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period,
region, or method of construction, or represents the work
of an important creative individual, or possesses high
artistic values; or
D. Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information
important in prehistory or history. (Guidelines for the
California Environmental Quality Act)
Under CEQA §15064.5, ~generaily, a project that follows the
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving,
Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings
or the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
with Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be
considered as mitigated to a level of less than a significant
impact on the historical resource."
California Register of Historical Resources
The California Office of Historic Preservation’s Technical
Assistance Series #6, California Register and National Register:
A Comparison, outlines the differences between the federal and
state processes. The context types to be used when establishing
the significance of a property for listing on the California
Register of Historical Resources are very similar, with emphasis
on local and state significance. They are:
i. It is associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional
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April 15, 2011
history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United
States; or
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local,
California, or national history; or
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period,
or method of construction or represents the work of a master,
or possesses high artistic values; or
4. It has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important
to prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the
nation.29
Like the NRHP, evaluation for eligibility to the CRHR requires an
establishment of historic significance before integrity is
considered. California’s integrity threshold is slightly lower
than the federal level. As a result, some resources that are
historically significant but do not meet NRHP integrity standards
may be eligible for listing on the CRHR.3°
California’s list of special considerations is shorter and more
lenient than the NRHP. It includes some allowances for moved
buildings, structures, or objects, as well as lower requirements
for proving the significance of resources that are less than 50
years old and a more elaborate discussion of the eligibility of
reconstructed buildings.~I
In addition to separate evaluations for eligibility for the CRHR,
the state automatically lists on the CRHR resources that are
listed or determined eligible for the NRHP through a complete
evaluation process. 32
EVALUATION
NRHP/CRHR Criterion A/I
The bowling alley does not appear to be eligible for NRHP/CRHR
Criterion A/I for association with significant historical events.
Constructed in 1959-1960, the bowling alley at 2580 E1 Camino
Real generally contributed to the growth of Redwood City and the
29 California Office of Historic Preservation, California Register and National Register: A Comparison,
Technical Assistance Series 6, (Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001), 1.
3o Ibid., 1.
3~ Ibid., 2.
32 All State Historical Landmarks from number 770 onward are also automatically listed on the California
Register. [Califomia Office of Historic Preservation, California Register of Historical Resources." The
Listing Process, Technical Assistance Series 5, (Sacramento: California Department of Parks and
Recreation, n. d.), 1.
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April 1.5, 2011
expansion of the commercial corridor along E1 Camino Real in the
post-World War II years. Mel’s Bowl does not appear to have
played a specific or significant role in this history of postwar
growth. Also, although it was associated with the growing
popularity of the sport of bowling and the subsequent
construction of numerous bowling alleys throughout the state
during the 1950s and 1960s, it is one of many examples of bowling
alleys from this era and does not seem to rise above others as a
particularly noteworthy example, particularly in comparison to
more lauded examples, like the bowling alleys constructed by the
firm of Powers, Daly & DeRosa. No specific events of historic
significance appear to have occurred at the bowling alley and so
it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criterion A/I.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion B/2
The bowling alley does not appear to be eligible for NRHP/CRHR
Criterion B/2, for association with the lives of persons
significant to our past. The Boicelli family, although long-time
residents of Redwood City, do not appear to be credited with any
significant accomplishments or achievements that made an impact
on the history of the area. Moreover, while they owned the land
one which the bowling alley stands for over a hundred years,
their relationship to Mel’s Bowl does not appear to have extended
beyond that of landlord.
Mel’s Bowl was initially established by Mel Weiss, an
entrepreneur in the restaurant and entertainment industry. He is
best known for the Mel’s Drive-In restaurants located around the
Bay Area, a number of which have be .reincarnated as Mel’s
Original Drive-In (the originals have all closed, including the
one immortalized in George Lucas’ film American Graffiti). While
Weiss’ association with this iconic restaurant chain may elevate
him to the status of a significant historical figure, his
association with the bowling alleys does not. The restaurants
were his primary business undertaking, while the Mel’s Bowl
bowling alleys followed as a secondary business about ten years
later. The bowling alleys do not seem to claim enough
significance from their connection with Mel Weiss to be eligible
for listing under Criterion B/2. For these reasons, the subject
property does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under
Criterion B/2.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion C/3
The bowling alley exhibits typical mid-century architectural
styling and building materials, including a horizontal emphasis,
gable-on-flat roof forms, tilt-up concrete construction, and
pebble dash cladding. Its large, one-story mass, as well as its
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April 15, 2011
interior layout and the facilities it contained are also typical
of bowling alleys in the 1950s and 1960s, as noted in the bowling
and bowling alleys context above. Although Mel’s Bowl contributes
to a broad architectural context in this sense, it does not stand
out as noteworthy, and many other, possibly better examples
exist. Worth mentioning, is Mel’s Southshore Bowl in Alameda,
which was designed by the same architect as Mel’s Bowl in Redwood
City and exhibits an identical footprint, roof plan, and facade
organization. (The similarity of the actual floor plan and
exterior finish treatments are undetermined.) The two bowling
alleys appear to be nearly identical, and yet it has been
recorded that the architect himself considered the building in
Alameda, and not the subject Mel’s Bowl, to be the best execution
33
of the four bowling alleys he designed during his career.
Goodwin Steinberg was a master architect who achieved a high
degree of respect in the Bay Area and internationally. In his
memoir, Steinberg associated himself and his architecture with
the postwar transformation of Santa Clara County from the Valley
of Heart’s Delight to the Silicon Valley, and obituaries
consistently cite the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Beth Am
Congregation campus, and restorations of the Santa Clara County
Courthouse, and the Del Monte Hotel as his best work. Steinberg
designed four bowling alleys during his career, including the
three Mel’s Bowls in San Jose, Alameda and Redwood City, all
around 1959. These projects do not seem to have been the pinnacle
of his achievements, however, and do not capture a significant
chapter in his career. Thus, the subject property does not appear
to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion C/3, as the work
of a master architect, as a good example of a particular
architectural type, style, or method of construction, or as
achieving a high degree of artistic merit.
Mel’s Bowl Sign
As mentioned previously, a free-standing, vertically oriented,
neon sign is located at the front of the Mel’s Bowl Property,
advertizing the bowling facility to traffic along E1 Camino Real.
Rendered in a mid-century decorative aesthetic, the sign is
comparable to the many iconic Googie style signs that are found
throughout the country and considered important elements of
roadside architecture. The Googie style, which was commonly
expressed in signage as much as in architecture, was popular from
the late 1940s through the 1960s, contemporaneous to the erection
of the Mel’s Bowl sign. The Mel’s Bowl sign is a relatively
simple example of a Googie sign - it does not have boomerang
33 Dill Design Group/Archives and Architecture. The authors interviewed Mr. Steinberg during their
assessment of one of the other bowling alleys he designed and received this comment. Mr. Steinberg died
recently in December 2010.
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April 15, 2011
shapes and starbursts composed in space-age, gravity-defying
arrangements, for example - but it does include an arrow, lights,
block letters, and a prominent position at the edge of E1 Camino
Real.
Carey & Co. performed a cursory survey of roadside signage along
E1 Camino Real within Redwood City city limits. Two other midcentury Googie signs stand out as comparable to the Mel’s Bowl
sign: Roy’s Drive-In Cleaners at Ii00 E1 Camino Real and the
building-mounted sign for Dick & Dale’s Auto Tops at 2504 E1
Camino Real. Both of these signs stand out for their form, which
has more movement than Mel’s Bowl. The former, however, does not
have lighting, and the latter is relatively small. Neither of the
signs is free-standing.
Based on this survey, the Mel’s Bowl sign appears to be the best
example of a mid-century Googie sign along E1 Camino Real. While
it does not appear to achieve significance at the national level,
it does appear to be eligible at the local level and for the CRHR
under Criterion 3, as a good example of mid-century Googie
signage in Redwood City.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion D/4
Archival research provided no indication that the bowling alley
has the potential to yield information important to the
prehistory or history of Redwood City, California, or the nation.
Therefore, it does not appear to be eligible for listing under
Criterion D/4.
Integrity
Mel’s Bowl and the sign retain high degree of integrity. They
have not been moved and therefore retain integrity of location.
E1 Camino Real remains a busy commercial corridor with
residential neighborhoods surrounding it, a general condition
that has not substantially changed since Mel’s was constructed.
Therefore, Mel’s Bowl and the sign retain integrity of setting.
The bowling alley and sign retain integrity of design, materials,
and workmanship, as few physical changes have been made and they
retain their original appearance. Because all of these aspects of
integrity are strong, the bowling alley retains its feeling as a
mid-century bowling alley and its association with its original
use.
CONCLUSION
Mel’s Bowl, located at 2580 E1 Camino Real in Redwood City,
California was designed by Goodwin Steinberg and constructed in
1959-1960. The property on which the bowling alley stands was
owned by the Boicelli family for over a hundred years and was
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April 15, 2011
leased to Mel Weiss who established the bowling alley and
operated it for about ten years.
The bowling alley falls into a context of mid-century bowling
popularity and the construction of many large, full-service
bowling alleys throughout the nation. However, it does not rise
to the level of significance to be considered noteworthy within
this context. It is not associated with any important historical
figures, and its typical mid-century architecture is not
significant. While designed by a master architect, the building
does not appear to be a significant example of Goodwin
Steinberg’s work. Therefore the building is not eligible for
listing in the National or California Registers, nor does it
appear to be eligible for local listing. The Mel’s Bowl sign,
however, appears to be the only extant, free-standing mid-century
Googie sign with good integrity in Redwood City and appears to be
significant locally and eligible for the California Register
under Criterion 3.
IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONS
Impact i. Implementation of the proposed project would result in
removal of the Mel’s Bowl sign, which is a historic resource
under CEQA. (Significant and Unavoidable)
The proposed project would cause a substantial adverse change in
the significance of a historic resource as defined in CEQA
Guidelines Section 15064.5. The implementation of Mitigation
Measure I, which calls for the documentation of the Mels’ Bowl
sign would reduce the magnitude of the impact. Nonetheless,
demolition of a historic resource cannot be mitigated to a level
of less than a significant level. Therefore, the proposed project
would result in a project-level significant and unavoidable
impact to a historic resource.
Mitigation 1: Documentation.
Documentation of the Mel’s Bowl sign would include the following:
i. Photographs following these sections of the National Register
Photo Policy Factsheet: Selecting a Digital Camera, Taking the
Picture, Renaming the Digital TIFF Image, Burning the Images onto
an Archival Disk, Labeling the Disk, Printing the Images,
Selecting the Paper and Inks, Identifying Photographic Prints,
Labeling the Photographs, NR Nomination Photograph Log Page.
Note: Use the photograph log page as a template even though the
photographs are not being submitted to the National Register of
Historic Places.
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2. Scaled drawings, or photographs, of both elevations showing
the dimensions of the sign and its features.
Documentation would be submitted to the Redwood City Public
Library and the San Mateo County History Museum.
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Draft Historic Resou.rce Evaluation Report
April 15, 2011
SOURCES
American Roads. "El Camino Real, California’s Coast Route. "
http://www.americanroads.us/autotrails/elcaminoreal.html,
3/18/2o11.
~Boicelli, Anthony J. " (obit) San Francisco Chronicle, 4 March
2009.
"Bowling." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling, 3/18/2011.
Building permits for 2580 E1 Camino Real. Redwood City Planning
Department.
California Highways, "Trails and Roads: E1 Camino Real, "
http://www.cahighways.org/
elcamino.html, 3/18/2011.
~Celebrated Architect Goodwin Steinberg, 89, Dies after
Illness." Palo Alto Online www.paloaltoonline.com,
accessed March 23, 2011.
City of Redwood City. "History of Redwood City."
http://www.redwoodcity.org/about/
local_history/exhibits/redwood_city/rwc_history.html,
3/18/2o11.
Dill Design Group/Archives and Architecture. "Historical and
Architectural Evaluation: Fiesta
Lanes and Meineke Discount
Mufflers. " 9 October 2002.
"Steinberg, Goodwin. " (obit) San Francisco Chronicle, 17
December 2010. http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-1217/news/25205604_l_jewish-studies-american-institute-awardwinning-homes, 3/18/2011.
~Goodwin Steinberg, " (obit.) San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo
County Times. December 17, 2010. www.legacy.com, accessed
March 23,2011.
"Goodwin Steinberg. "Legendary Los Altos Architect, Dies at
88. " Los Altos Town Crier. December 2010.
www.losaltosonline.com, accessed March 23, 2011.
"Goody Steinberg Fine Art Limited Edition Prints."
http://colornotemusic.com/Color%20Note%20Music/index.html,
accessed March 23, 2011.
Carey & Co., Inc.
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April 15, 2011
Help with Bowling. ~The History and Origins of Bowling, "
http://helpwithbowling.com/
history-origins-of-bowling.php, 3/18/2011.
Hurley, Andrew. Diners, Bowling Alleys, and Trailer Parks:
Chasing the American Dream in Postwar Consumer Culture. New
York: Basic Books, 2001.
Parcel history San Matero County Assessor’s Office.
Redwood City City Directories and Haine’s Directories.
San Mateo County Historical Society:
"Boicelli’s Battle on 2 Fronts, " 18 January 1965.
"The Boicellis’ Viewpoint, " 13 May 1966.
"Boicelli’s Fail to Get Street Named, " 8 November 1966.
"Silvio Bocelli" (obit), 21 May 1973.
"Property Problems," 22 June 1977.
Local History Room. San Mateo Public Library.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. "Redwood City, California."
Schmidt, Doug. "They Came to Bowl: How Milwaukee Became
America’s Tenpin Capital," The Wisconsin Magazine of
History, Vol. 91, no. 1 (Autumn 2007) : 51-53.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Office
of Historic Preservation. California Register of Historical
Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5.
Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
California Register and National Register: A Comparison.
Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California
Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status
Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical
Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department
of
Parks and Recreation, 2004.
Steinberg, Goodwin. From the Ground Up: Building Silicon Valley.
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002.
US Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to
Apply the National Register
Criteria for Evaluation,
National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office, 1997.
Carey & Co., Inc.
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April 15, 2011
How to Complete the National Register Registration Form,
National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office, 1997.
Carey & Co., lnc.
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State of California -- The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
Primary #
HRI #
Trinomial
NRHP Status Code
PRIMARY RECORD
Other Listings
Review Code
Reviewer
Date
Page 1 of 9
*Resource Name or #: 2580 El Camino Real
P1. Other Identifier: Mel’s Redwood Bowl
*P2. Location: [] Not for Publication [] Unrestricted
*a. County: San Mateo
and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.)
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad: San Luis Rey, California
Date: 2009 T ; R ;
t/4 of
1/4 of Sec ; M.D.
c. Address: 2580 El Camino Real
City: Redwood City
Zip: 94061
d. UTM: Zone: 10 ;
mE/
mN (G.P.S.)
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate) Elevation: block 064, lot 21
a,a.
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries)
The one-story bowling alley faces northeast onto E1 Camino Real between its intersections with Center Street (northwest) and Carlos Avenue
(southeast). The property is located approximately one mile southeast of Redwood City city center. El Camino Real is lined primarily with
small-scale commercial properties, which flank the subject property and face it across El Camino Real. Behind the subject property (to the
southwest) is a residential neighborhood of single-family residences.
The site is flat and the majority of the subject property is paved with asphalt for use as a parking area. The building is set back from the street,
with most of the paved area located between it and the street. At the street, a low concrete curb fronts the lot, with two driveway aprons
providing vehicle access to the parking lot from E1 Camino Real. A free-standing, vertically oriented, neon sign is located at the front of the lot.
Rendered in a typically mid-century decorative aesthetic, the sign reads "Mel’s Bowl" and has sign boards at the bottom for temporary lettering.
Two tall utilitarian light poles are located in the parking lot.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) HP6. 1-3 story commercial building
*P4. Resources Present:~’lBuilding []Structure 13Object I-1Site []District []Element of District []Other(Isolates, etc.)
’P5a. Photo or Drawin~
structures, and
P5b. Description of Photo: (View,
date, accession #)
Primary and east facades, looking
southwest. 6/9/10.
*P6. Date ConstructedlAge and
Sources: []Historic
[]Prehistoric ¯Both
1959-1960; original building permit.
*P7. Owner and Address:
*P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation,
and address)
Carey & Co., Inc.
460 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA. 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: 3/22/2010
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe)
Intensive
*Pll. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter "none.") Historic Resource Evaluation Report: 2580 E1 Camino Real,
Redwood City, California
*Attachments: ¯NONE []Location Map []Sketch Map []Continuation Sheet []Building, Structure, and Object Record
[]Archaeological Record []District Record []Linear Feature Record []Milling Station Record []Rock Art Record
[]Artifact Record []Photograph Record [] Other (List):
DPR 523A (1/95)
*Required information
State of California- The Resources Agency
I DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
[CONTINUATION SHEET
Page 2 of 9
Primary #
HRI#
Trinomial
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 2580 F:I Camino Real
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date: 312212011
Continuation ~J Update
P3a. Description (continued)
The generally rectangular-plan building is of tilt-up concrete construction and features pebble dash and wood board-and-batten siding. The roof
consists of a broad shallow gable running northwest-southeast with a border of flat roof around the edges; flat roof transitions to a shed roof
across the front of the building. A broad, shallow gable that is oriented on a northeast-southwest axis and is surrounded by a border of flat roof
covers a projecting bay on the north corner of the building. Rolled composition clads the roof. Low planters, sometimes surrounded by a
concrete curb, border the base of the primary (northeast) facade; they contain primarily low plants and shrubs, with three small cypress trees
located at the east comer of the building.
A wide concrete and pebble dash walkway leads from the parking lot to the main entrance, which is located near the center of the primary
facade. A broad shed roof extends from the main roof; it is supported by square wood posts along its left side and an "adobe" brick wall along
its right side. The entry consists of a glazed, anodized aluminum-frame assembly composed of fully-glazed double-doors flanked by narrow
sidelights and surmounted by a narrow transom. Low solid dados with large, single-lite, fixed windows above flank the entry door assembly. To
the right of the entry, a ground-level planter lines the entry walkway and abuts the base of the thick "adobe" brick wall, which extends through
the roofline. This wall separates the entry from a projecting bay on the right side of the primary facade.
The bowling alley’s restaurant is located within the projecting bay. It features a secondary entrance on its left side, which consists of a flush
wood door made to look like it is built of vertical boards. It has heavy strap hinges and is surmounted by a barrel vaulted fabric awning that
extends over the walkway leading up to the door. Four large, single-lite fixed windows flank the entry. They are located over board-and-batten
dados. Brick piers flank the door and each window.
Two similar windows flanked by brick piers wrap the east corner of the projecting bay, where the "adobe" wall does not extend to its corner.
The right side of the projecting bay is clad with board-and-batten siding and is otherwise featureless. The left side of the primary facade is clad
with board-and-batten siding and features a series of tall narrow arrow-slit windows along its length. The windows are fitted with a single pane
of textured glass and have small wood sills at the bottom. At the far left end of the primary facade, a board-and-batten fence with "adobe" brick
piers wraps the east comer of the building, enclosing a patio. The primary facade terminates in broad boxed eaves with a metal fascia. Over the
projecting bay on the right side of the facade, a low gable rises above the flat roof and has a large metal housing for an HVAC unit. The gable
end has broad eaves and a louvered metal vent at the center.
A paved driveway that provides access to the rear of the lot borders the southeast facade. The facade features panels of pebble dash cladding
with sharply angled concrete piers between. Each panel also has a narrow vertical recessed strip of stucco along each side, flanking the piers. At
the right side of the facade is a recessed secondary entrance that consists of a set of fully-glazed, anodized aluminum-frame double doors
surmounted by a transom and flanked by single-lite sidelights. The recessed entry vestibule has a stepped soffit clad with textured stucco and
features three projecting wood beams held by vertical two-pronged brackets that extend up the vertical face of the soffit. The side walls of the
recessed entry vestibule are clad with "adobe" brick, which on the right side, continues as a high wall enclosing part of the patio at the east
corner of the building. The southeast facade terminates in a fiat, eaveless roofline.
The southwest (rear) facade of the building is bordered by a smaller paved parking area. Like the southeast facade it is clad alternating panels of
pebble dash and angled concrete piers. Most of these panels also have narrow vertical recessed strips of stucco along each side. At the center of
the facade is a projecting bay that has a secondary entrance at its center. The entrance consists of a set of flush metal double doors surmounted
by solid metal transom panels. On the right side wall of the projecting bay is a single flush wood pedestrian door. The southwest facade
terminates in a flat eaveless roofline.
The northwest facade closely abuts the property line and is not readily visible due to a fence and vegetation that obscure it. A board-and-batten
fence appears to create a utility enclosure on the left side of the facade, while a section of the facade near the center is clad with "adobe" brick.
The right side of the facade features pebble dash panels and angled concrete piers identical to those on the southwest and southeast facades. A
small section of the roofline on the left side of the facade has overhanging eaves, while the remainder o.f the facade terminates in a flat eaveless
roofline.
State of California --The Resources Agency
I
Primary #
HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET
Trinomial
Page 3 of 9
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 2580 El Camino Real
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date: 3/22/2011
P3a. Description (continued)
Southwest (rear) facade.
Southeast facade and east corner.
Continuation
Update
Primary #
HRI#
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
Page 4 of 9
*NRHP Status Code 6z
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 2580 E1 Camino Real
BI. Historic Name: Mel’s Redwood Bowl
B2. Common Name: Mel’s Bowl
B3. Original Use: Bowling alley
B4. Present Use: Bowling alley
*B5. Architectural Style: Contemporary
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations)
Constructed 1959-1960. Roof truss failure and repair 1962. Fire damage repaired 1969. Movable partitions installed 1976.
*B7. Moved? I~qNo E3Yes
*B8. Related Features:
None
I-1Unknown
Date:
Original Location:
B9a. Architect: Goodwin Steinberg
b. Builder: C.W. Gresham
*B10. Significance: Theme: City development, bowling
Area: Redwood City, California
Period of Significance: 1959-1960
Property Type: Commercial
Applicable Criteria: None
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.)
In 1900, the Boicelli family purchased a 22-acre parcel of land that included the property where Mel’s Bowl now stands. They called the
property Boicelii Ranch. Historic photos show that a small, modest, wood-frame cottage - the Boicelli home - was located on the ranch,
possibly in close proximity to the route of E1 Camino Real. The property passed down through the family and eventually three grandsons of the
original owners - Anthony, Silvio and Charles Boicelli -- inherited it. It is assumed that the property was subdivided and parcels sold off
during this time, as an Eichler-designed residential development was constructed to the southwest of the current bowling alley property in 1948
(along Northumberland Avenue, southwest of Cypress Street). The Bocelli brothers retained the parcel where the bowling alley now stands and
another 2.5-acre parcel between the bowling alley and Cypress Street.
The Boicelli’s leased the parcel nearest to El Camino Real to Mel Weiss, who is best known as the co-founder of the well-known Mel’s Drive-ln
restaurant chain. He was also the proprietor of a number of bowling alleys. The first Mel’s Bowl was located in San Jose (Mel’s Palm Bowl,
1958, no longer extant) and was succeed soon thereafter by Saratoga Lanes (1958, San Jose, no longer extant), Mel’s Redwood Bowl in
Redwood City (subject property) and Mel’s Southshore Bowl in Alameda (extant). Master architect Goodwin Steinberg designed all four
bowling alleys; the latter two are nearly identical in design, likely having been constructed around the same time (1959-1960). (continued)
Bll. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) N/A
*B12. References:
(See continuation sheet)
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: 3/22/2011
(This space reserved for official comments.)
DPR 523B (1/95)
State of California --The Resources Agency
Primary #
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Page ~ of 9
Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder) 2580 E1Camino Real
B10. Significance: (continued)
On August 21, 1959, Redwood City granted Mel’s Inc. a building permit to construct a 40-lane bowling alley with a restaurant, billiard room,
cocktail lounge, and child-care nursery for a cost of $372,000. The permit lists Goodwin B. Steinberg of Los Altos as the architect, Rutherford
& Chekene as the structural engineer, and Sidney P. Lathrop, of Oregon, designed the timber roof trusses. C.W. Gresham constructed the
building, and final inspection took place in April 1960.
The building has undergone few changes since its original construction. On April 25, 1962, the bowling alley’s roof trusses failed. They were
repaired within the month. In 1965, the Boicelli family entered a heated argument with the City of Redwood City over the establishment of a
special assessment district that included their parcel to the rear of the Mel’s Bowl property. The assessment district would have enabled the
routing of a new street, a continuation of Northumberland Avenue to Leahy Street, through that parcel and would have been constructed at the
Boicelli’s expense. The family lost the argument and, the following year, also failed to have the new street named in the family’s honor. These
events do not seem to have had an effect on the operations of Mel’s Bowl.
In 1969, a fire occurred at the bowling alley, necessitating repairs. Mel Weiss’s involvement with the bowling alley ended around this time as
well, and the Boicelli family entered into a long-term lease with American Recreation Centers, Inc., which took over operation of the bowling
alley. The bowling alley continued to be known as Mel’s Bowl. American Recreation Centers is known to have operated twenty-six other
bowling alleys throughout California at the time.
In June 1971, Mel’s Bowl hosted the Winston-Salem Bowling Open. R.J. Reynolds tobacco company sponsored the event, which required a few
temporary improvements to the bowling alley, such as signage and the installation of bleacher seating. According to a 1979 Haine’s Directory,
the prospering bowling alley also conducted business through the Bradbury Pro Shop and the Redwood House Restaurant, both housed within
the facility.
Silvio Boicelli died in 1973, followed by Charles, and in 2009 by Anthony Boicelli. Ownership of the Mel’s Bowl property passed to the next
generation of Boicellis. The bowling alley remains in operation under the management of AMF, a nationwide bowling alley company. It is
officially known as AMF Redwood Lanes, but continues to commonly be called Mel’s Bowl.
Bowling and Bowling Alleys
The sport of bowling dates back to prehistoric times, with archeological evidence of ball-and-pin games found in ancient Egyptian tombs. It was
also known to have existed in medieval Germany in the form of a game called kegal, which had religious implications involving the absolution
of sin with the downing of pins. Bowling persisted in European courts and, with colonization, eventually became a popular betting game in
early America. After being banned for its sordid association with gambling in some areas of the country, the American Bowling Congress form
in 1895 and created the first standardized rules. Bowling associations for men and women proliferated, and the sport continued to grow in
popularity. Rubber balls replaced wood balls early in the twentieth century, and the Brunswick company introduced modern "mineralite" balls
in 1914.
While bowling appealed both to the elite and the working classes through the early twentieth century, it became increasingly associated with the
latter. Wealthy Americans installed small bowling alleys in their mansions or bowled at alleys in upscale hotels. More commonly, however,
working-class men in urban centers found bowling recreation at saloons, leading to bowling’s strong association with gambling, drinking, and
general delinquency. As one historian has written, "The one thing the sport lacked was a glittering image." Before World War I, women who
traded their apron strings for bowling shoes were considered rebels for invading the dingy, smoky, kerosene-lit alleys.
Prohibition and the Great Depression marked a turning point in the history of bowling. The ban on alcohol forced saloons to closed and, along
with them, the bowling alleys located inside. New alleys opened in association with ice cream parlors and soda fountains. As unemployment
skyrocketed during the early 1930s, Americans, especially working-class American who were so hard hit by the economic disaster, sought
DPR 523B (1/95)
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Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder) 2580 El Camino Real
BIO. Significance: (continued)
cheap entertainment. Bowling offered one solution, and leagues of groups of men with labor and industry associations grew in number.
Women’s bowling leagues grew in number as well.
Bowling’s popularity gained momentum during World War II and the postwar period. The military built over 4,500 bowling facilities on
American bases for the recreation of servicemen and women. Introduced to bowling, these military personnel undoubtedly helped bring the
bowling craze to fruition in the post-war years. In the 1950s, the first television coverage of"Championship Bowling" was aired and other
bowling programs followed, further promoting bowling among the general public. Technological advances, such as the introduction of
mechanical pin-setting machines in 1952, eliminated the need for human "pin boys" and increased the efficiency of the game. Other advances at
the time included foul detectors; the "Pindicator," which illustrated on a screen the number of pins left standing; hand driers; and automatic
under-lane ball return devices. The 1950s also gave rise to theme bowling, such as "lunar bowling" by black light and prize bowling.
Suburbanization also contributed to the proliferation of bowling alleys and its dramatic increase in popularity. Postwar affluence, combined
with technological advances in home construction and mortgage incentives for home builders and buyers, fostered unprecedented numbers of
Americans from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds to buy home. Bowling alleys became a common feature of these new
communities, where working-class Americans transformed the bowling alley into a symbol of wholesome, mainstream consumer culture. Large,
free-standing, 40-60 lane alleys promoted bowling as a family sport by providing child-care facilities and sit-down restaurants. The traditional
inclusion of alcohol and billiards was adapted into upscale and tightly controlled cocktail lounges and pool tables, which were tucked away in
separated rooms. Women’s leagues were formed and typically played on weekday mornings, while afternoons were dominated by junior leagues
for children.
On the West Coast, bowling was particularly popular in Southern California. Between 1960 and 1962, developer Louis Lesser was responsible
for building nine expensive and well-appointed bowling alleys. With automated pin-setters, billiard rooms, child-care centers, coffee shops,
cocktail lounges, expansive parking lots, and live entertainment, these bowling alleys became extremely popular social venues. The San
Francisco Bay Area equivalent of Louis Lesser was the firm of Powers, Daly & DeRosa, who created what was termed the "California Style"
for bowling alleys. They designed bowling alleys according to a theme, such as Persian at the Futurama Bowl in San Jose, which featured an
elaborately decorated Magic Carpet Room cocktail lounge. While these were in the upper echelon of bowling alleys, a number of
contemporaneous alleys are known to have been constructed throughout the Bay Area, including but not limited to Serra Bowl (Daly City), BelMateo Bowl (San Mateo), Manor Bowl (San Leandro), Cloverleaf Bowl (Fremont), Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl (Dublin), Alma Bowl (San
Jose), Lenny’s Ann Darling Bowl (San Jose), Cambrian Bowl (San Jose), Plaza Lanes (San Jose), Saratoga Bowl (San Jose), and the three Mel’s
Bowls. It was within this atmosphere of bowling popularity and glamour that Mel’s Redwood Bowl was born.
alleys promoted bowling as a family sport by providing child-care facilities and sit-sit down restaurants. The traditional inclusion of alcohol
and billiards was adapted into up-scale and tightly controlled cocktail lounges and pool tables tucked away in separated rooms. Women’s
leagues were formed and typically played on weekday mornings, while afternoons were dominated by junior leagues for children. Prior to this
time, women and children would have been rare patrons at a bowling alley.
Bowling was especially trendy in Southern California, where between 1960 and 1962, developer Louis Lesser was responsible for building nine
pricey and well-appointed bowling alleys. With automated pin-setters, billiard rooms, child-care centers, coffee shops, cocktail lounges,
expansive parking lots, and live entertainment, these bowling alleys became extremely popular social venues. The San Francisco Bay Area
equivalent was the the firm of Powers, Daly & DeRosa who created what was termed the "California Style" for bowling alleys. Their bowling
alleys were each designed around a theme, such as Persian at the Futurama Bowl in San Jose, which sported an elaborately decorated Magic
Carpet Room cocktail lounge.
While these were in the upper echelon of bowling alleys a number of contemporaneous alleys are known to have been constructed throughout
the Bay Area, including but not limited to Serra Bowl (Daly City), Bel-Mateo Bowl (San Mateo), Manor Bowl (San Leandro), Cloverleaf Bowl
(Fremont), Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl (Dublin), Alma Bowl (San Jose); Lenny’s Ann Darling Bowl (San Jose), Cambrian Bowl (San Jose),
Plaza Lanes (San Jose), Saratoga Bowl (San Jose), and the three Mel’s Bowls. It was of this atmosphere of bowling popularity and glamor that
Mel’s Redwood Bowl was born.
Goodwin Steinberg
Goodwin "Goody" Steinberg (1922-2010) designed Mel’s Bowl. Born and raised in Chicago, Steinberg was the son of an architect. He followed
in his father’s footsteps, studying at the Illinois Institute of Technology under modernist master Mies van der Rohe, and at the l~coles d’Art
Am6ricaines at the Palace of Fountainbleau, in France, under Princeton University Professor Jean Labatut. Having passed through the San
Francisco Bay Area with the Air Forcein 1944, Steinberg decided to relocate to California permanently in1952. He established Steinberg
Architects a year later and built it into an practice with multiple offices in the United States and abroad. Steinberg’s portfolio included a wide
range of project types, including residences, corporate campuses and religious buildings. Some of his most renowned projects include the Tech
Museum of Innovation in San Jose, buildings for the Stanford Research Center, and restorations of both the Santa Clara County Courthouse in
DPR 523B (1/95)
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Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder). 2580 E1 Camino Real
San Jose and the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey. He is also celebrated for his design of Congregation Beth Am, a Jewish school and synagogue
in Los Altos Hills, which was inspired by his own faith and sense of community. Beyond architecture, Steinberg was known as an advocate for
regional planning and the conservation of the open space of around Los Altos.
Steinberg designed at least four bowling alleys in the Bay Area, including the three Mel’s Bowls (in San Jose, 1957; Redwood City 1959-1960;
and Alameda ca.1960) and Saratoga Lanes in San Jose (1959). According to an interview he conducted with Dill Design Group in 2002,
Steinberg felt that Mel’s Southshore Bowl in Alameda was the best executed of the four designs and that Mel’s Palm Bowl and Saratoga Bowl
were not executed according to his original designs. Notably, Mel’s Southshore Bowl and Mel’s Redwood Bowl appear to be identical in plan
and facade organization and are very similar in exterior treatment.
Evaluation
NRHP/CRHR Criterion A/1
The bowling alley does not appear to be eligible for NRHP/CRHR Criterion A/1 for association with signifi.cant historical events. Constructed
in 1959-1960, the bowling alley at 2580 El Camino Real generally contributed to the growth of Redwood City and the expansion of the
commercial corridor along E1 Camino Real in the post-World War II years. Mel’s Bowl does not appear to have played a specific or significant
role in this history of postwar growth. Also, although it was associated with the growing popularity of the sport of bowling and the subsequent
construction of numerous bowling alleys throughout the state during the 1950s and 1960s, it is one of many examples of bowling alleys from
this era and does not seem to rise above others as a particularly noteworthy example, particularly in comparison to more lauded examples, like
the bowling alleys constructed by the firm of Powers, Daly & DeRosa. No specific events of historic significance appear to have occurred at the
bowling alley and so it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criterion A/1.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion B/2
The bowling alley does not appear to be eligible for NRHP/CRHR Criterion B/2, for association with the lives of persons significant to our past.
The Boicelli family, although long-time residents of Redwood City, do not appear to be credited with any significant accomplishments or
achievements that made an impact on the history of the area. Moreover, while they owned the land one which the bowling alley stands for over
a hundred years, their relationship to Mel’s Bowl does not appear to have extended beyond that of landlord.
Mel’s Bowl was initially established by Mel Weiss, an entrepreneur in the restaurant and entertainment industry. He is best known for the Mel’s
Drive-ln restaurants located around the Bay Area, a number of which have be reincarnated as Mel’s Original Drive-In (the originals have all
closed, including the one immortalized in George Lucas’ film American Graffiti). While Weiss’ association with this iconic restaurant chain
may elevate him to the status of a significant historical figure, his association with the bowling alleys does not. The restaurants were his primary
business undertaking, while the Mel’s Bowl bowling alleys followed as a secondary business about ten years later. The bowling alleys do not
seem to claim enough significance from their connection with Mel Weiss to be eligible for listing under Criterion B/2. For these reasons, the
subject property does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion B/2.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion C/3
The bowling alley exhibits typical mid-century architectural styling and building materials, including a horizontal emphasis, gable-on-tim roof
forms, tilt-up concrete construction, and pebble dash cladding. Its large, one-story mass, as well as its interior layout and the facilities it
contained are also typical of bowling alleys in the 1950s and 1960s, as noted in the bowling and bowling alleys context above. Although Mel’s
Bowl contributes to a broad architectural context in this sense, it does not stand out as noteworthy, and many other, possibly better examples
exist. Worth mentioning, is Mel’s Southshore Bowl in Alameda, which was designed by the same architect as Mel’s Bowl in Redwood City and
exhibits an identical footprint, roof plan, and facade organization. (The similarity of the actual floor plan and exterior finish treatments are
undetermined.) The two bowling alleys appear to be nearly identical, and yet it has been recorded that the architect himself considered the
building in Alameda, and not the subject Mel’s Bowl, to be the best execution of the four bowling alleys he designed during his career.
Goodvvin Steinberg was a master architect who achieved a high degree of respect in the Bay Area and internationally. In his memoir, Steinberg
associated himself and his architecture with the postwar transformation of Santa Clara County from the Valley of Heart’s Delight to the Silicon
Valley, and obituaries consistently cite the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Beth Am Congregation campus, and restorations of the Santa Clara
County Courthouse, and the Del Monte Hotel as his best work. Steinberg designed four bowling alleys during his career, including the three
Mel’s Bowls in San Jose, Alameda and Redwood City, all around 1959. These projects do not seem to have been the pinnacle of his
achievements, however, and do not capture a significant chapter in his career. Thus, the subject property does not appear to be eligible for the
NR_HP/CRHR under Criterion C/3, as the work of a master architect, as a good example of a particular architectural type, style, or method of
construction, or as achieving a high degree of artistic merit.
DPR 523B (1195)
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Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder). 2580 E1 Camino Real
Mel’s Bowl Sign
As mentioned previously, a free-standing, vertically oriented, neon sign is located at the front of the Mel’s Bowl Property, advertizing the
bowling facility to traffic along El Camino Real. Rendered in a mid-century decorative aesthetic, the sign is comparable to the many iconic
Googie style signs that are found throughout the country and considered important elements of roadside architecture. The Googie style, which
was commonly expressed in signage as much as in architecture, was popular from the late 1940s through the 1960s, contemporaneous to the
erection of the Mel’s Bowl sign. The Mel’s Bowl sign is a relatively simple example ofa Googie sign - it does not have boomerang shapes and
starbursts composed in space-age, gravity-defying arrangements, for example - but it does include an arrow, lights, block letters, and a
prominent position at the edge of El Camino Real.
Carey & Co. performed a cursory survey of roadside signage along E1 Camino Real within Redwood City city limits. Two other mid-century
Googie signs stand out as comparable to the Mel’s Bowl sign: Roy’s Drive-In Cleaners at 1100 E1 Camino Real and the building-mounted sign
for Dick & Dale’s Auto Tops at 2504 El Camino Real. Both of these signs stand out for their form, which has more movement than Mel’s Bowl.
The former, however, does not have lighting, and the latter is relatively small. Neither of the signs is free-standing.
Based on this survey, the Mel’s Bowl sign appears to be the best example of a mid-century Googie sign along El Camino Real. While it does not
appear to achieve significance at the national level, it does appear to be eligible at the local level and for the CRHR under Criterion 3, as a good
example of mid-century Googie signage in Redwood City.
NRHP/CRHR Criterion 1)/4
Archival research provided no indication that the bowling alley has the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of
Redwood City, California, or the nation. Therefore, it does not appear to be eligible for listing under Criterion D/4.
Integrity
Mel’s Bowl and the sign retain high degree of integrity. They have not been moved and therefore retain integrity of location. El Camino Real
remains a busy commercial corridor with residential neighborhoods surrounding it, a general condition that has not substantially changed since
Mel’s was constructed. Therefore, Mel’s Bowl and the sign retain integrity of setting. The bowling alley and sign retain integrity of design,
materials, and workmanship, as few physical changes have been made and they retain their original appearance. Because all of these aspects of
integrity are strong, the bowling alley retains its feeling as a mid-century bowling alley and its association with its original use..
B12. References (continued)
American Roads. "El Camino Real, California’s Coast Route."
http://www.americanroads.us/autotrails/elcaminoreal.html, 3/18/201 l.
"Boicelli, Anthony J." (obit) San Francisco Chronicle, 4 March 2009.
"Bowling." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling, 3/18/20 i 1.
Building permits for 2580 El Camino Real. Redwood City Planning Department.
California Highways, "Trails and Roads: E1Camino Real," http://www.cahighways.org/
elcamino.html, 3/18/2011.
"Celebrated Architect Goodwin Steinberg,89, Dies after Illness." Palo Alto Online www.paloaltoonline.com, accessed March 23, 2011.
City of Redwood City. "History of Redwood City." http://www.redwoodcity.org/about/
local_history/exhibits/redwood_city/rwc_history.html, 3/18/2011.
Dill Design Group/Archives and Architecture. "Historical and Architectural Evaluation: Fiesta
October 2002.
Lanes and Meineke Discount Mufflers." 9
"Steinberg, Goodwin." (obit) San Francisco Chronicle, 17 December 2010. http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-12-17/news/25205604_l_jewishstudies-americaninstitute-award-winning-homes, 3/18/2011.
"Goodwin Steinberg," (obit.) San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo County Times. December 17, 2010. www.legac¥.com, accessed March
23,2011.
DPR 523B (1/95)
"Goodwin Steinberg. "Legendary Los Altos Architect, Dies at 88." Los Altos Town Crier. December 2010¯ www.losaltosonline.com accessed
March 23, 2011.
"Goody Steinberg Fine Art Limited Edition Prints." http://colornotemusic.con~Color%20Note%20Music/index.html, accessed March 23, 201 !.
Help with Bowling. "The History and Origins of Bowling," http://helpwithbowling.com/
history-origins-of-bowling.php, 3/18/2011.
Hurley, Andrew. Diners, Bowling Alleys, and Trailer Parks: Chasing the American Dream in Postwar Consumer Culture. New York: Basic
Books, 2001.
Parcel history San Matero County Assessor’s Office.
Redwood City City Directories and Haine’s Directories.
Primary #
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Page. 9 of 9
Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder) 2580 E1 Camino Real
B12. References (continued)
San Mateo County Historical Society:
"Boicelli’s Battle on 2 Fronts," 18 January 1965.
"The Boicellis’ Viewpoint," 13 May 1966.
"Boicelli’s Fail to Get Street Named," 8 November 1966.
"Silvio Bocelli" (obit), 21 May 1973.
"Property Problems," 22 June 1977.
Local History Room. San Mateo Public Library.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. "Redwood City, California."
Schmidt, Doug. "They Came to Bowl: How Milwaukee Became America’s Tenpin Capital," The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Vol. 91, no. 1
(Autumn 2007): 51-53.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Historic Preservation. Califomia Register of Historical Resources: The
Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
__. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks
and Recreation, 2001.
¯ User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources
Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance
Steinberg, Goodwin. From the Ground Up: Building Silicon Valley. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002¯
US Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to Apply the National Register
Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
Criteria for Evaluation, National Register
¯ How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin
Office, 1997.
16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing
DPR 523B (1/95)

Appendix E - City of Redwood City

Transcription

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