Historic Bowling Manufacturing Plant Demolished

bowlingball.com continues presenting Editorial articles with this spotlight feature on the loss of a historic bowling landmark.

For more than a century, the Brunswick manufacturing plant was the standard for bowling consumer product manufacturing and a stalwart building in western Michigan. “The Bowlers Journal International” website recently reported the plant had been demolished because the manufacturing facility has moved elsewhere.

Here is the article courtesy of BJI about this historic building and area landmark:

“Residents of Muskegon, Mich., have lots of fond memories of the Brunswick Bowling Products manufacturing plant, which was built in 1906.

For decades, that plant employed as many as 2,700 people, providing a second “family” for many of the workers. Company bowling leagues promoted teamwork and camaraderie. Even those who didn’t work for the company benefited by its presence. During the cold winter months, many local families received bowling pins that did not meet quality standards, and used them for firewood.

The plant spanned 280,000 square feet, but has been dormant since 2006 when Brunswick moved its ball manufacturing operation to Mexico. Now, the building is being taken down after efforts to sell it were unsuccessful, as this report details.

“I remember going past the plant on my way to Muskegon High School in 1962 and seeing all the activity, employees coming and going during shift changes,” Harold Phinney said in a related story.

“I thought about working there someday.” He did. That was in 1968, and Phinney has worked in various capacities at the plant ever since. He’s now the facility, safety and security manager.

“I look at it with mixed emotions,” Phinney said of the decision to demolish the plant. “As a facility manager, I see we needed to make this move. We had to get rid of the buildings because of cost issues. Many of the buildings have wood roofs, and that is so expensive to maintain. We kept electricity and heat going, and the utility costs were high. The longer you leave a building vacant, the more it is just going to fall apart.”

A staff of approximately 175 remains in adjacent office space, overseeing the company’s worldwide bowling equipment operations.

“Some companies who have left Muskegon have shut down everything,” Phinney noted. “Brunswick has done a good job of keeping operations in Muskegon.”

Demolition work was completed the end of May, 2013, with many of the building materials being recycled for other uses.”

It is easy to become nostalgic when it comes to traditional buildings being demolished and manufacturing facilities moving elsewhere but we all realize that progress and business decisions change the landscape of our society.

When the Brunswick plant first opened in 1906, who would have believed then that there would be so many bowling ball brands on the market today.

Brunswick has been a leading manufacturer in bowling consumer products for many decades and will continue to be a supporter of our great game of bowling.

It is sad for me, however, when each of the historic bowling ball manufacturing plants are closed and companies gobble one another up in the race for business dominance.

A little part of our sport’s rich tradition is lost as progress flows. Long live bowling and the memories we all have shared through the many wonderful years of this game’s history.

Thank You!

Rich Carrubba
bowlingball.com