“We don’t want to change the basics of it. We want to keep the look and the feel, but there’s a lot that needs work.”

Bill Desing grew up in Riverwest attending keg parties with his buddies at the Falcon Bowl. When he heard that it was for sale, Desing and a few friends got together to buy it.

Carter Evenson: How did you get involved with the Falcon Bowl?

Bill Desing:  I grew up in the neighborhood and had been coming here for years. I heard that it was for sale and wanted to make sure that the tradition of the Falcon Bowl kept on. We’ve been here since 1915 and there were rumors about someone buying the building and turning it into something else. I got together with a couple of partners; my friend Dan is in the bowling and bar business and I’m in charge of the renovations.

Carter Evenson: I saw that the building is currently under renovation, what’s next for the Falcon Bowl?

Bill Desing: We’re going to be continuing with the beer garden. We’re adding fire pits, a new deck and another bar. In here we’re going to put in in new flooring and lighting, same with the bar and the bowling alley downstairs. Touching up a few things, we don’t want to change the basics of it though. We want to keep the look and the feel, but there’s a lot that needs work.

Carter Evenson: Have any notable or historic events happened here?

Bill Desing: This hall has been used for a lot of stuff through the years. There’s been musical events: Muddy Waters, old Blues guy from Chicago, played here. Howlin’ Wolf played here; Violent Femmes played here. There also used to be union and political meetings here. Quite a few political meetings, political speeches. It was also used as roller rink for a while, and it was for a short period a movie theater.

Carter Evenson: You said you grew up in the neighborhood, did you have any events that you attended that maybe inspired your love for the place?

Bill Desing: Oh yeah, we used to rent it out for parties, just big keg parties. We exceeded the fire code for sure.