JOHNNY PERKINS’ PLAYDIUM

When Johnny Perkins’ Playdium opened July 8, 1940, in St. Louis, Missouri, it was described as “the nation’s showplace of recreation.” The center featured twenty lanes and a cocktail bar. During the middle of the twentieth century, the nation’s nicest bowling alleys also hosted other draws, such as bars, billiards, performances and nurseries. The Playdium was as much a nightclub as it was a bowling center, and the throngs of visitors who hoped to gain admittance warranted a bouncer!