Rose Bowl back in the pink

As predicted here a few weeks ago,the Rose Bowl in Tulsa has been repainted back to some semblance of its original pink color, eschewing the red, white, blue and purple colors that it sported briefly before it closed, reports KOTV.

Chris Whinery of Whinery Mortgage is the owner of the Rose Bowl, which was built in 1962 along the 11th Street alignment of Route 66. Most of the former bowling center’s wooden lanes have been dismantled and auctioned. One set of lanes went to an airport bar to be converted into tabletops in Farmington, N.M.; another went to a restaurant in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

It’s sad the lanes are leaving, but it’s just as well. When AMF closed the Rose Bowl in 2005, included was a noncompete clause that disallowed it from reopening as a bowling center.

A few of the lanes will be kept for what is hoped to be a restaurant in one area of the Rose Bowl. Whinery told me a few weeks ago he was looking to establish a steak-and-sushi place, like a Club Sushi in Hermosa Beach.

The rest of the massive building is slated to be used a special-events venue, such as for concerts or kickboxing, he said.

Whinery has launched a Web site, tulsarosebowl.com. It says there will be a grand reopening next month. The site also says:

Starting in the summer of 2007, the 30,000 Sq. Ft. Rose Bowl will be available for rent. So plan your next Car Show, Rally, Gun Show, Rave, Wedding, Reception, Meeting, Concert, Flea Market, Auction, Home & Garden Show, Expo, Etc., at the Historic Rose Bowl on Route 66. Contact C.S. Whinery at (918) 684-9090 to plan your event at the Rose Bowl.

UPDATE 5/25/07: The Tulsa World has a story about the Rose Bowl’s renovations and future plans.

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