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Always hated that place, but the Peter Gabriel show there was pretty awesome.

"Cringe" is putting it lightly, Rich.

i think i just threw up a little in my mouth.

Some of the signs on the roads around Fair Park still say Starplex on them - first/best name.

Ha! You're right, Anonymous. We should grab some pics of said signs for nostalgia for the Preservation Dallas peeps.

speaking of, where was Preservation Dallas when the Bronco Bowl got whacked?

ChrisU,

Your question got me thinking so I called Preservation Dallas to see what I could find out.

Donovan Westover, their events coordinator, broke it down for me. He said, "We help the parties who are interested in saving a particular building," but then explained that the Landmark Commission is really where historic districts, buildings, etc. are established. Westover explained that Preservation Dallas acts more as a conduit between concerned parties and the city.

So, does this mean Oak Cliff people didn't care about the Bronco Bowl? Hard to say and I'm sure some did but also, Westover says that it may not have met a certain criteria. It wasn't designed by a famous architect, it wasn't "where JFK was shot", certain significances like that to give it potential reason for sticking around. But we can give the Preservation peeps big thanks for what they do and have done. Check out their site at preservationdallas.org

Plus, when you boil it down, it was just a bowling alley. But damn if it didn't have its own nostalgia. I saw Seal and Natalie Merchant there which rank high on my best concerts of all time list. And that's mostly because the Bronco Bowl redux was an awesome venue.

The laser tag though, I wasn't so good at.

Thanks Rich. That was really more of a facetious question but glad I put it out there. I go waaaay back with the Bronco Bowl but promise I won't get started. It certainly met my 'criteria'. But do agree 'Preservation Dallas' does great work.