LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The impressive architecture and glorious stained glass are clear reminders of the history embedded around our community. Long before us, there were others.
An old Victorian-style building on Story Avenue, connected to a giant warehouse, isn't the best exterior indicating the history lingering within its walls.
There's a lot of life in the new Vernon Lanes, an old bowling alley that's just a slice of Butchertown's history.
"They're authentic!" Tony Edelen, one of the three co-owners, said while pointing at different trophies on display inside the restaurant area of Vernon Lanes. "This one.. '58, '54, they all say Vernon Lanes on them."
Edelen says the trophies were returned to the bowling alley when they reopened, a small homage to the history.
Inside this 150-year-old building, you'll find bowling lanes dating back to the 1910's floors and pin setters from 1968. Not quite as far back, Edelen's relationship with the building still has some history.
When he moved to Louisville from Springfield with his wife thirteen years ago, he joined a sports networking league and started bowling at Vernon Lanes once a week.
"I had a few friends here so we all joined, and made a lot of friends through that," he said. "We started off doing kickball, but I'm a better bowler than kickball player, so that was a natural progression for me."
Edelen said he just thought the bowling alley was "a really cool place."
"We always had a great time here," he said. "It was getting run down in the later times."
He said once the building was eventually sold and closed, "a couple of my friends, we were thinking it would be really cool if we could buy that place, but we didn't have the means to do so."
It was a personal gutter ball, but when the chance returned years later, Tony Edelen squared up and rolled the ball.
He joined two other experienced business owners in buying Vernon Lanes, rehabbing the building and opening in March 2022.
"We're not quite at a year, but thus far we're pleased with our progress, and 2023 is going to be great," he said. "We just want to continue to grow with the neighborhood. I'm excited to see how it develops over the next ten years."
Instead of viewing the old and new as a split, they've found just the right touch to clear up the frame.
"That always brings a smile to my face, when people come back and are happy the place has been revitalized and has new generations enjoying it," Edelen said.
While we weren't able to take our cameras with us, Edelen gave WHAS11 a sneak peek of the building's future. The owners are remodeling apartments connected to the complex, above the bowling alley.
They plan on having them ready by Derby next year and renting them on AirB&B.
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