South Windsor Bowling Alley Comes Crashing Down

The Ten-Pin Bowling Alley in South Windsor collapsed on Thursday, another victim to this brutal winter. A big section of the arch-shaped roof collapsed from the weight of the snow around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Thursday nights are usually busy at the bowling alley, but no one was inside at the time of the collapse. The owners closed the alley on Tuesday because of the thick coating of snow on the roof and concerns about some possible cracks in the wood beams. A building inspector was at the alley just an hour before the collapse.

Firefighters said this type of building was particularly vulnerable.

"One of the issues with a bowling alley is that you have wide open areas," said South Windsor Fire Chief Phillip Crombie. "So when you get that much weight open area without any intermediate support, you have problems."

The building was constructed in the 1950s.

The owners had planned on having the snow removed from the roof on Friday. but are now assessing the damage.

Residents of South Windsor and frequent patrons to this bowling alley hope it will be rebuilt.

"I can't imagine South Windsor without 10-Pin Bowling Alley," Joe Pollard said.

Elsewhere Thursday night, the densely packed snow forced two large stores to close in two different communities.

In Berlin, The Home Depot was shut down as crews worked to remove snow from the roof.

The Kohl’s Department Store on East Main Street in Waterbury was evacuated after concerns about a crack in the wall. Inspectors were brought in to check things out.

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