Photo by Jennifer Compston-Strough - A sign featuring a phoenix, the mythical bird known for rising from its ashes, adorns the side of the new Chestnut Lanes building in Barnesville. The original building, constructed in 1963, was destroyed by fire last year.

The longtime owner of Chestnut Lanes bowling alley is working hard to rebuild and eventually reopen his business after a fire destroyed it just before Thanksgiving 2020.

A.J. Corder has owned the bowling alley since he bought it from his parents in 1999 and continued the family business. He said the structure is being rebuilt in the same location where the former building stood. The new facility will have a floor plan similar to that of the original building, with a few modern touches.

“It’s roughly the same, but it’s going to be up to date. I expanded it a little bit. I added about 800 square foot, but it’s roughly the same floor plan,” he said. “We have some upgrades like automatic bumpers. We’re putting couches in, coffee tables with USB outlets so people can charge their phones. There will be a lot of things that will cater to today’s technology.”

Corder said workers were able to salvage the bar, tables and lanes from the 1963 building. He plans to repurpose those items for the new bowling alley.

He said they started the rebuild in September. The exterior of the new facility has been erected, and crews continue to work on the interior.

Corder is hoping to have the business reopened in late February or early March.

“As long as we don’t get any more delays in materials, we should be good,” he said.

The community has been a great support to Corder, both before the fire and since. He said he is grateful for that.

“They’ve been behind us ever since. They’ve always supported us — when COVID hit, the town supported me because I had to shut down. … The town has been phenomenal. They always have been, and I expect they’ll be here when we open up as well.”