RePlay columnist and industry long-timer George McAuliffe recently sent us a story from the Sept. 14, 1980, edition of The New York Times about Bagatelle Place, the pinball arcade where he started in the business.
McAuliffe is quoted in the article saying Bagatelle Place was the first “comprehensive adult recreation center,” featuring 40 pinball and video games, a lounge/library with a giant TV and games like Scrabble, chess and backgammon.
Opened in the Rye Town Hilton, the business welcomed the general public half the time and the other half for private groups for occasions like “meetings, bar mitzvahs and Sweet Sixteens.”
McAuliffe said: “There are lots of youngsters and teenagers, but we get all sorts of people. Businessmen from nearby offices stop in during their lunch hour, families and couples come here at night instead of going to the movies. We feel that entertainment patterns are changing in the suburbs – people want something less passive than movies, but not as active as, say, bowling – and we’re offering an alternative.”
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