Bowling Returns To Downtown Toronto In Style

Modernize a Center

It had been over 30 years since there was bowling of any kind in downtown Toronto. And with a location in Toronto’s entertainment district, the Ballroom is now providing bowling to the locals like they’ve never seen it before.

Once a gold refinery some 100 years ago, and most recently a dance club, the downtown building the Ballroom is located in, is in the heart of the entertainment district near Muchmusic (Canada’s version of MTV) and the homes of the Toronto Bluejays and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Ballroom is 20,000 square feet of entertainment and spans two floors. The nine Brunswick lanes feature two private boutique-lanes that can be rented for private functions. The bowling lanes also include Vector® Plus center management and scoring system, GS-X™ pinsetters, Pinball Wizard bumper bowling and much more.

The Ballroom’s five owners (Andreas Antoniou, Paul Donato, Warren Needler, Thanos Tripi, and Matty Tsoumaris) – whose backgrounds range from filmmaking to wealth management to running nightclubs and restaurants – invested about $4 million to convert the building. They chose Brunswick because of the company’s ability to provide the most comprehensive package with the best warranty and delivery reputation. Brunswick distributor in Canada, Striker Bowling Solutions, managed the project from the early stages all the way through installation.

The Ballroom also features 52 big-screen HDTVs, seven 12-ft. by 6-ft. projection screens, ping-pong tables, a gastro pub led by a noted Toronto chef, and upscale bars on both floors. Owners saw a big opportunity in downtown Toronto, one where competition wasn’t an issue. “We saw a big void in the market, of a complete entertainment complex where someone could enjoy food, music, entertainment, activities, all under one roof,” said Tsoumaris.

We knew that other world-class cities had these, like London, New York, Los Angeles … Miami,” said Needler. “And Toronto, being a world-class city, was lacking something like this for young professionals to do.”