Plaza Lanes owner vows to rebuild bigger, better facility after fire destroys bowling alley

The massive fire that destroyed the longtime Plaza Lanes Family Sports Complex had one casualty: the iconic neon bowler that topped the building and drew in thousands of patrons.

“He died when the roof fell in,” said Randy Thompson, who owns the business with his wife, Sheri Thompson.

Surrounded by his family and friends, Thompson wept early Monday morning as flames engulfed the bowling alley his father built in 1957.

“It was surreal,” said Thompson, who pulled into a nearby parking lot at 6 a.m. and watched the building succumb to flames. “It was like seeing your family heritage go up in flames, and all the memories with it."

Plaza Lanes — a place where children learned to bowl, where young couples had first dates and where countless league and amateur bowlers picked up strikes and laid down gutter balls — was mostly in ashes by mid-morning.

• READ ABOUT ANOTHER DES MOINES ICON LOST TO FIRE ATDesMoinesRegister.com/YounkersFire

Thompson said his sister called him after seeing the blaze on the morning television news. He stood across the street from the rubble for most of the morning as firefighters put out hot spots.

He estimates the damage to be $7.5 million. The building was insured. 

Along with the bowling center, the fire destroyed Trophy’s Sports Bar & Grill restaurant. The adjacent sand volleyball courts and outdoor bar were spared, along with the company’s offices and banquet rooms on the east side of the building, which he said were protected by a firewall.

Fire officials haven’t determined the cause of the blaze, which is still under investigation, said Brian O'Keefe, spokesman for the Des Moines Fire Department. A passerby saw smoke coming out of the business and alerted the fire department at 5:08 a.m., O'Keefe said.

Crews initially saw only smoke, but soon the building was engulfed in flames, he said. The roof collapsed shortly after.

Thompson said he believes the fire started on the north end of the building, where the restrooms were located. The last person in the building was the customer service manager, who left about 1 a.m., he said.

A late-morning rainbow, created by the sun shining through the water coming from firefighters' hoses, gave Thompson some hope. He was already creating a new bowling alley in his mind as water ran down the street.

“It will probably be bigger, with more amenities,” he said, predicting a fall 2018 reopening. He wants to add an escape room and laser tag, along with a bigger arcade, new sports bar and — of course — bowling lanes.

He also hopes to bring back the neon bowler, depending on the cost. His father paid $40,000 for the moving light show in 1957. Thompson imagines the price would be much higher today.

“We’re going to attempt it,” he said.

The fire also means an estimated 1,500 league bowlers will have to find new lanes to finish their seasons or wait until next fall when the business reopens, Thompson said. A spokesman for the Iowa High School Athletic Association said it wasn't known where the state tournament would be held after several years at Plaza Lanes.

Thompson also owns the Great Escape, a bowling alley and restaurant in Pleasant Hill. He said he was overwhelmed by the immediate support that poured in from patrons and friends.

Tiffany Whitley sat in her car across the street from the fire Monday morning, reminiscing about her family’s visits to the bowling alley.

“My 9-year-old has been learning how to bowl, and we were going to go there this weekend for laser bowling,” she said. “It’s always a lot of fun.”

Thompson said he likely will rebuild at the same location, 2701 Douglas Ave., which has been an anchor for the Douglas Avenue corridor. A nonprofit group called the Douglas Avenue Coalition is looking to make streetscape and other improvements to the 3-mile stretch of Douglas Avenue from Merle Hay Road to the Des Moines River.

Thompson said it was heartbreaking to watch the business burn, but even more difficult was losing a plaque that had been hanging inside the business from a group of bowlers honoring original owner Darrell Thompson, Randy's father, who died in 1980.