Holiday Bowl

Holiday Bowl. . , A Place For All , Opened in 1958 by a group of Japanese restaurateurs, the Holiday Bowl was for 40 years a culinary and recreational nexus for Crenshaw's African American and Japanese populations, and just about anyone else who came through. The Holiday Bowl was multifunctional, with a coffee shop, bowling alley, bar, and lounge that served up a wide range of food choices. At just about any hour you could get grits and udon, yakisoba and salmon patties, donburi and short ribs, and many other items on a menu that was as lengthy and diverse as any in the city. , A Pioneering Look , With its angular facade, bright orange accents, and large plate-glass windows that looked out onto Crenshaw Boulevard, the Armet and Davis-designed building was a classic example of the eye-catching Googie architecture that was prevalent throughout Los Angeles in the 1950s. Another prime example of Googie in the area was The Wich Stand, located a few miles away at Slauson Avenue and Overkill Drive. The architect of the Holiday Bowl was Helen Liu Fong, who also designed Pann's on La Cienega which at the Holiday Bowl Fong was known for her on Wilshire and Fairfax. attention to interior detail, Boulevard and Johnie's included white George Nelson bubble lamps and fiberglass Eames chairs wrapped in orange vinyl. On the outside, the bowling alley and adjoining coffee shop featured a futuristic roof line and a bold striped orange and white facade. The Japanese-influenced mid-century modern theme was most evident in the loungy Sakiba Room which had a ceiling inspired by Japanese folk woodwork. , Holiday as History , The local affection for Holiday was so strong, it remained untouched during the 1992 civil unrest; as fires raged on Crenshaw and else-where, people continued to show up to bowl. Despite valiant efforts to save the Bowl by city preservationists and community members, it was gutted in 2003 to make way for new devel-opments. Today, only its glass facade remains. Next door to the Holiday Bowl was another longtime Crenshaw business with an iconic look: the Majestic Pontiac car dealership (originally Ken Clark Pontiac.) Majestic was one of many car dealerships that once thrived on the boulevard in the 1950s and 1960s, a testament to the area's burgeoning black middle class. In the 1960s, the number of dealerships on the boulevard peaked at eight; two of the longest-running were O'Connor Lincoln-Mercury, and Crenshaw Motors Ford. The former closed in 1990 and Crenshaw Motors Ford, the last dealership on the boulevard, shuttered in 2007. Majestic Pontiac, like its neighbor the Holiday Bowl, was long ago replaced; however, a single remnant remains of its former self: the classic neon Pontiac Indian head at the top of the towering shopping center sign.