Most garage lovers consider themselves lucky if they have at least a 500 square foot space to store a couple of cars. Anyone with twice that is considered very lucky. How would you like to hang out in a garage that is the size of an average double car garage times 80?
For the past 100 years Seattle’s Capital Hill neighborhood has been considered one of the best areas to live, work and play. There are numerous parks, museums, art galleries, trendy shops, new hip lounges and old traditional watering holes. Located at 1134 Broadway is the perfect place to eat, drink and be merry while bowling and playing pool. Garage Billiards, known to the locals as “The Garage,” provides patrons with everything necessary to spend a long afternoon or evening filling up on food and libations while throwing a big round ball at some penguin shaped hunks of wood or poking a stick at a bunch of numbered balls. The 40,000 square foot combination of three buildings provides three floors of fun that all began back in 1927.
Originally one side of the combined structure was utilized for automobile storage while the other side housed a marine engine building facility. Then in 1929 a new use was established that lasted for 60 years; the Sheriff & Thompson Garage. For six decades this company helped Northwest automobile owners keep their Model T Fords, Studebaker Dictators and Chevrolet Impalas running perfectly. This tradition was carried on when the new residents, Pittman Automotive, occupied the space from 1989 until their move up the street in 1996. So now the question is what to do with 40,000 square feet of space that abounds with historical charm and coolness in spades. That question was answered when Alex Rosenast, Jill Young-Rosenast, Kelly Curtis, Peggy Curtis and Mike McCready decided that Seattle needed a new place to dine and recreate. Soon thereafter Mike Bitondo arrived and began his reign as a managing partner.
“Seattleites have a varied and eclectic taste in where they like to go, what they like to eat and what they like to do,” stated Mike as he sat back comfortably in one of Garage Billiards many lounge areas. “Our clientele ranges in age from early 20’s to late 60’s. They seem to feel, after an initial visit, that the Garage is a destination to return to, not just a place to visit once and not return. We are one of only two bowling alleys still left in Seattle.”
When asked if the patrons appreciate that they are bowling and biting under a roof that any lover of garages would trade their own body parts for he responded, “Some of our guests seem unaware of the significance of the surroundings and are just here for a meal and a game of pool. Others seem to tune right into the aura and history of the place. Everyone seems a bit awed by the size of the facility.”
The 18 pool tables and 14 bowling lanes provide a lot of activity to enjoy before, during, or after dinning. Garage Billiards is a 21 and over establishment and features a full bar on each of its three floors. This writer’s “research” required a return trip, accompanied by my bride, to take a close look at the full menu. My palate prefers food that might be expected in a garage, so the meatloaf sandwich (appropriately the size of a Buick) was parked in front of me. Jan, a confirmed vegan, was worried that there would be nothing on the menu that she could eat. For those uninformed about vegan diets let me just say that their meals consist mainly of compressed air and old issues of USA Today. Much to her delight she found several items that are allowed by the IVYGPWT (I’m a vegan, you got a problem with that?) organization. The hummus plate was almost as good as she makes at home and the shared polenta fries (she hogged most of them) were new to my taste buds and are booked for a return engagement on my next trip to The Garage.
As we enjoyed our meal I imagined the pool tables and bowling alleys gone and replaced with a couple hundred vintage vehicles. Mike, when asked what the future of Garage Billiards is, stated, “We expect what is here now to continue on. We don’t consider this a ‘trendy’ place and, as a result, expect it to remain popular for a long time. We’ve never sought out any press coverage and have not been featured in any magazines or on any TV shows. We don’t do any traditional advertising; our customers are here because they’ve heard good things about it from their friends.”
Close inspection reveals how original the building remains. The multitude of skylights are original, the brick walls remain just as they were in 1927, and there is a steel beam the length of the garage that still has the much used engine hoist system in place. The front and rear still have the garage doors in place and a little interior rearranging would allow the facility to return it to its glory days as one of Seattle’s premier automobile repair shops.
Research for this article included a very pleasant conversation with former tenant, 92-year-old Roy Pittman, owner of the still in business Pittman Automotive.
“I’ve heard that there is a real nice place there now. I don’t bowl anymore but I can still hold a pool cue and down a burger with anyone my junior. I’ll have to visit there sometime.” I think I’ll ask Roy if he’d like to join me to share a pool cue and a plate of polenta fries.
