Sandusky Recreation Center Opened in 1928

The Sandusky Recreation Center bowling alley opened on West Market Street in 1928. J.C. Feick was the builder for the new building, which was in the 400 block of West Market Street, next to the Ogontz Garage. An advertisement announced that the facility was open for public inspection on November 10 and 11, 1928.

Charles A. Bogert was the owner of the Sandusky Recreation Center. He also operated a gun store in Sandusky. Mr. Bogert was skilled in bowling and trapshooting, and he was known as a good football and basketball player in his high school days. Through the years, there were several different managers of the Sandusky Recreation Center. When it opened, Herman Martens managed the first floor of the Rec Center, and Frank Hegner was in charge of activities on the second floor. The twenty bowling alleys were built by Brunswick, Balke and Collender. In a modern innovation, soft drinks were kept chilled in a Frigidaire, instead of in an ice chest. There was a total of 360 lockers for bowlers, and each floor had a dressing room for the pin setters.

With the increasing popularity of bowling in the mid-twentieth century, in 1941, an ad from Holzaepfel Brothers let bowlers know that they could purchase their uniforms, bowling balls, and bowling shoes from their store.

The Sandusky Recreation Center was still popular in 1951. Their advertisement in the August 3, 1951 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News announced that bowling leagues were being organized.

Charles A. Bogert died in 1945. The Sandusky Recreation Center continued into the early 1950s. In 1967, Goodwill Industries acquired the property. Eventually Goodwill also purchased the property on the corner of West Market and Decatur Streets, where Ogontz Garage was in business for many years. When you drive down West Market Street, the building which once was known as the Sandusky Recreation Center is still visible.