It’s a dream of many people to buy a historic building and an even greater dream to be able to remodel it. When a couple purchased a historic building that was over 100 years old in a small town, they saw that dream come true. Sue Hansen is one of the owners of that building, who talked to The Daily Gazette. They had purchased the building for the primary purpose of running her husband’s dental practice.

It operated on the first floor and they were using much of the home for storage purposes. While some remodeling was taking place, the contractor came up to Hansen and told her that they discovered some strange metal circles on the kitchen floor. That 2nd-floor kitchen seemed to have been the location of an old candlepin bowling alley.

When Hansen heard about the bowling alley that used to be in the old home, she was surprised. She said: “[The building] has been a lot of things through the years, but I never imagined a bowling alley and restaurant.” Hansen looked into the subject further and found that the building was owned by a Ballston Spa businessman and entrepreneur by the name of Herbert B. Massey in the early 1900s.

The “Masset Cafe and Restaurant” is still listed in the village directory from 1910. “Bowling Alleys for Ladies and Gentlemen” was the tagline for that establishment. According to historical records, Massey opened the café and bowling alley in 1909, according to the city. It was there that he lived until 1917, at which point he died. It was at this point that she began to investigate some of the owner’s business transactions in the village of upstate New York.

Some of the transactions were even a little shady. Herb Massey was a fascinating figure, according to Hansen. From what I’ve read, he was on the edge of being an illegal immigrant, but at the same time, he seemed to be something of a neat freak.” An old historic building with a 2nd-floor bowling alley might seem odd, but it wasn’t uncommon in New England during the 1800s.

Remains of pre-World War II bowling alleys can be found throughout the region. In fact, Hansen’s historic building was only two blocks away from another small bowling alley in the nearby village of Ballston Spa. The fascinating discovery can be learned more about in the following video:.