National Bowling Stadium
Encyclopedia
The National Bowling Stadium is a 363000 square feet (33,723.8 m²) ten-pin bowling
stadium
in Reno, Nevada
. The stadium is recognizable for an 80 feet (24.4 m) aluminum geodesic dome
in its facade, built to resemble a large bowling ball
.
Nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of tenpins", the 80-lane stadium opened in 1995, cost $47.5 million, and took three years to build. It is often the filming location for bowling scenes in films.
, The concept for construction of the stadium was in part to capture tourism dollars being sent to Las Vegas
, and as part of an agreement with the American Bowling Congress that upon construction of a first-class permanent facility, they would ensure their return to Reno every third year. The project was funded by a room tax lobbied by the city of Reno to the Nevada Legislature
based on commitments from the American Bowling Congress
and the Women's International Bowling Congress
.
The original construction of the stadium had 80 lanes, but since an architectural error resulted in the stadium not having a center aisle for bowlers to march out for the team event, the center lanes had to be converted to an aisle. Despite the conversion to a 78-lane facility, the main pro shop/gift shop is still called "Lane 81".
and Toledo
.
and Woody Harrelson
in the 1996
bowling film Kingpin
, Michael J. Fox
and Kirk Douglas
bowled on lane 81 in Greedy
.
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
stadium
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. The stadium is recognizable for an 80 feet (24.4 m) aluminum geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
in its facade, built to resemble a large bowling ball
Bowling ball
A bowling ball is a spherical ball made from plastic, reactive resin, urethane or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. Ten-pin bowling balls generally have a set of three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle finger, and one for the thumb;...
.
Nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of tenpins", the 80-lane stadium opened in 1995, cost $47.5 million, and took three years to build. It is often the filming location for bowling scenes in films.
Construction and financing
The stadium was constructed as part of a renovation effort of downtown Reno, which also saw the construction of the Silver Legacy Resort CasinoSilver Legacy Resort Casino
The Silver Legacy Resort & Casino is a land based hotel and casino in Downtown Reno, Nevada, it opened on July 28, 1995. It anchors a network of connected hotel-casinos in the downtown Reno core that included jointly owned properties Eldorado Hotel-Casino and Circus Circus Reno...
, The concept for construction of the stadium was in part to capture tourism dollars being sent to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, and as part of an agreement with the American Bowling Congress that upon construction of a first-class permanent facility, they would ensure their return to Reno every third year. The project was funded by a room tax lobbied by the city of Reno to the Nevada Legislature
Nevada Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house Nevada Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house Nevada Senate, with 21 members. All 63 members of the Legislature are elected from an equal amount of...
based on commitments from the American Bowling Congress
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
and the Women's International Bowling Congress
Women's International Bowling Congress
The Women's International Bowling Congress was an organization for women bowlers formed in 1916 as a counterpart to the American Bowling Congress ....
.
The original construction of the stadium had 80 lanes, but since an architectural error resulted in the stadium not having a center aisle for bowlers to march out for the team event, the center lanes had to be converted to an aisle. Despite the conversion to a 78-lane facility, the main pro shop/gift shop is still called "Lane 81".
Features
The stadium can be covered to be converted to convention space. It utilizes fully automatic scoring on what (upon construction) was the world's longest rigid, backlit video screen, with oversight from a computerized command center on the stadium's fifth level. When it opened in 1995, it was just in time to welcome 100,000 members of the American Bowling Congress for their 100th anniversary meeting. In 2009 the National Bowling Stadium broke the record for most United States Bowling Congress championships hosted, surpassing the tie between BuffaloBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
.
Film history
The National Bowling Stadium has been the filming location for several feature films. In addition to being the location of the grand finale between Bill MurrayBill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
and Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
in the 1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
bowling film Kingpin
Kingpin (film)
Kingpin is a 1996 slapstick comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers and starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray...
, Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
and Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
bowled on lane 81 in Greedy
Greedy (film)
Greedy is a 1994 comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, Kirk Douglas, Phil Hartman and Nancy Travis, directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel. The original music score was composed by Randy Edelman...
.