Building History
In February of 2007, Camp Bow Wow owner Linda Ciprella purchased the building at 6046 Roosevelt Rd which is now Camp Bow Wow - Oak Park. Although Linda is a 25-year resident of Oak Park, she was not aware of this vintage bowling alley on Roosevelt Road, or its history. The building was built in 1923 and housed milk delivery trucks for a local dairy. In 1943 it was renovated to be a ten lane bowling alley under the name Suburban Lanes, which was later changed to Oak Park Lanes.
Great Bones
Although it was not initially apparent, the building has great architecture. Once the pin changing equipment, plastic fixed furniture, a fifties style bar/grill area and original wood lanes were removed, what remained was a wide open warehouse with a high wood ceiling and plain concrete floor, a perfect shell to create a "Disneyland for Dogs". As in all renovations of vintage buildings, there were expected and unexpected repairs and costs, delaying the original construction schedule.
Working Locally
River Forest architect Nevin Hedlund and Buchmiller Contracting assisted Linda in the renovation. All the trades involved worked hard to get things finished in time for Autumn and the upcoming holidays, when they plan to board their dogs at Chicagoland's first Camp Bow Wow!