When I went to the Highball last week, my first visit in about 10 days, I was immediately taken with what I saw. A LOT of work had been done, most notably the subfloor for the bowling lanes. I was there not more than a few minutes when Highball architect Richard Weiss joined me. Let me tell you, his excitement was infectious as he showed me around and explained how much had been done in such a short time, and how well it bodes for completing the project on schedule.

Subflooring for the bowling lanes

Flash forward just a few days later and the bowling lanes had been put down on the subfloor. Overseeing this project is Bill Fenner, who started installing lanes in the 50s. The first job he worked was in 1959 for Major League Lanes in North Carolina, a 40 lane behemoth. In 1974, while working for AMF, Bill installed lanes in the basement of the Nixon White House. And now here he is overseeing the Highball lanes, which he says are going to be regulation lanes, capable of being American Bowling Congress certified should Tim wish to get that.

Bill Fenner's assistants level the lanes

Right now Bill’s assistants are prepping the lanes by leveling them. This requires that they take a level measurement about every two feet on each lane and adjust as necessary. Next they will put in the divisions and gutters, sand the lanes, then coat them with urethane. And for those of you as interested in minutia as I am, those lanes are 45 feet of pine, with maple where the pins sit.

View of diner structure

If you take a look around, however, you will notice that all of the drywall has been installed, so the diner is now pretty much solid, as far as wall construction is concerned. And it shows. Standing at the end of the lanes and looking to your right, we have a well defined structure there. As you walk down that hallway between the lanes and the diner, you will have a long bar on that wall to the left, for standing and watching the bowling. As you pass the diner on the right, that first opening is where the lanes are managed. You will pick up your shoes and balls there. On the right after that is a hallway through the structure that leads to the downstairs karaoke rooms, restrooms, and diner seating on the other side. Keep going straight ahead and you will go up the stairs to more karaoke rooms.
Construction is really picking up speed, so stay tuned! The next installment here will have details on the Highball’s design, from Joel Mozersky. I’ll also have a few tidbits about what is in store for the diner as I get them from the Highball’s chef Trish Eichelberger. As Richard emphasized to me last week, things are going to move real fast from this point forward. So keep checking back here and, as always, the Highball Flickr page which is update more frequently.