About 19 months after the May 2019 tornado, another building will soon be demolished due to damage from the twister that hit Jefferson City.
Capital Bowl, which was the city's only remaining bowling alley, is set to be demolished due to a lack of interest in purchasing the building and property, said Tom Mendenhall, a member of the property's ownership group.
The building sustained heavy damage in the storm, including loss of a wall on one side and part of the roof, and has since been left partially exposed to the elements despite some temporary repairs in June 2019.
Capital Bowl, which first opened as West Gate Lanes in 1961, announced on Facebook in October 2019 it would not reopen following tornado damage.
In May 2020, Mendenhall said they had decided to sell the property instead of repairing it, with the hope someone could rebuild it into a new bowling alley.
However, there was no significant interest, and Mendenhall said Wednesday they decided to demolish the building and try to sell the lot.
"We decided to go ahead and take the building down - it's an eyesore," Mendenhall said.
The loss of Capital Bowl leaves the Jefferson City area without a bowling alley. Rainbow Lanes was destroyed by a fire in 2015.
As of Wednesday, a demolition permit application for the building had been submitted, but a permit had not yet been issued by the city, Jefferson City Building Official Matt Kreyling said.
Before demolition begins, some materials from the building are being salvaged and sold.
Alisha Wiant, of Lane Surgeons LLC, and some crew members were in the building Wednesday to salvage the maple and pine from the bowling lanes and other lumber.
For the next three weeks, Wiant will be there daily starting at 8 a.m. selling the materials. The lane material is available for $12 per linear foot, and other lumber pieces are also for sale, along with whatever else can be salvaged from the building before demolition.