Brooklyn Bowl opened on July 7, 2009, at 61 Wythe Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, inside the former Hecla Iron Works building. Founded by Peter Shapiro, the former proprietor of the Tribeca club Wetlands Preserve, along with Charley Ryan and brothers Alex and Arthur Cornfeld, the venue pairs a working concert hall with a 16-lane bowling alley and restaurant under one roof.
The building itself has industrial roots stretching back well before the venue: the Hecla Iron Works company was founded in 1876 by Niels Poulson and Charles Eger, and after a series of fires the surviving complex on the site, including the structure Brooklyn Bowl now occupies, was rebuilt between 1892 and 1897. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 2004. Brooklyn Bowl’s renovation preserved that industrial character while adding green touches like energy-efficient pinspotters and a stage built partly from recycled materials, and the concept later expanded to Las Vegas, Nashville, and Philadelphia.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
- Type: Music venue, bowling alley & restaurant
- Opened: July 7, 2009
- Capacity: About 600 (standing)
- Bowling lanes: 16
- Famous for: Hosting acts like Guns N’ Roses and The Roots inside a landmarked 1890s Hecla Iron Works building
A Concert Hall Built Inside a 19th-Century Foundry
Long before it was a music venue, the Hecla Iron Works complex at 61 Wythe Avenue produced cast iron components, including subway entrance and exit shelters made for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company ahead of the New York City subway’s 1904 opening. Following a series of fires, the company rebuilt its Williamsburg works between 1892 and 1897 using a then-innovative combination of brick, plaster, and iron designed to resist fire. That industrial history is part of why the structure earned New York City landmark status in 2004, and why Brooklyn Bowl’s founders were drawn to converting it rather than building from scratch.
The two-year renovation that followed kept much of the building’s exposed brick and steel bones intact while fitting it out as a 600-capacity standing room with a stage, bar, and 16 bowling lanes running alongside the crowd.
From Rolling Stone Recognition to a Multi-City Brand
In 2013, Rolling Stone ranked Brooklyn Bowl among the top 20 music clubs in the United States, citing both its sound and its unusual bowling-alley setup. The Williamsburg original has hosted a wide range of touring acts, from Guns N’ Roses and Elvis Costello to The Roots, who have held a long-running residency there.
The concept proved exportable: Brooklyn Bowl opened a Las Vegas location in 2014, a short-lived London outpost that same year (closed in 2017), a Nashville venue overlooking First Horizon Park in June 2020, and a Philadelphia location in November 2021, each pairing live music with bowling lanes in the same spirit as the Brooklyn flagship.
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Brooklyn Bowl FAQs
When did Brooklyn Bowl open?
The original Brooklyn Bowl opened on July 7, 2009, at 61 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
What building is Brooklyn Bowl located in?
It occupies the former Hecla Iron Works building, rebuilt between 1892 and 1897 after fires destroyed the company’s earlier complex, and designated a New York City landmark in 2004.
Does Brooklyn Bowl have locations outside of Brooklyn?
Yes. The brand has expanded to Las Vegas (2014), Nashville (2020), and Philadelphia (2021), following an earlier London location that operated from 2014 to 2017.
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Photo: Alex Lozupone / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.