History

There are actually three halls of fame housed in the National Bowling Hall in St. Louis: Those of the American Bowling Congress (ABC), the Professional Bowlers' Association (PBA), and the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC).

Opened on June 2, 1984, the hall of fame had its roots in a display of historical material gathered by the ABC to be exhibited at its annual tournament in 1939.

In 1972, the display was moved into a temporary home at Bowling Headquarters, the joint ABC/WIBC operation in Greendale, WI. The two groups in 1977 got together with two major equipment manufacturers, AMF Incorporated and the Brunswick Corporation, and with the Bowling Proprietors Association of America to found the National Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum as a non-profit corporation.

St. Louis was chosen from 35 cities that applied to become the site for the hall, which was built at a cost of about $7 million.

In addition to separate wings for each of the three halls of fame, the three-story facility includes a 19th-century alley where visitors can bowl, using old lignum vitae balls; a movie theater; several life-sized dioramas illustrating the sport's history; computer terminals that allow access to historical and biographical information; and videodisks of famous bowlers reminiscing about their careers.

[NOTE: A fourth bowling hall of fame is maintained independently by the Professional Women Bowlers Association.]

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