Inside Stories

Rex-collections: Who Remembers the Rex?

Looking to tap the collective knowledge of all of the Inside Lowell historians among us – and we know there are many!

The current location of Middlesex Community College’s Cowan Center at 33 Kearney hosts the primary academic and administrative classrooms and offices for the college for its city campus.

Prior to the college inhabiting the hexagonal shaped facility, it was, for a brief period of time, the Wang Training Facility.  And just prior to that a vacant parking lot.

But long before that – for decades, in fact – the site at 33 Kearney Square played host to the Rex Center – home to all things Rex-Ish a grille, banquet halls, a ballroom, a Turkish bath, and bowling, to name just a few.

Wondering who out there Inside Lowell – and beyond – has any recollections of times they may have spent at the Rex and want to share their stories with us through the comments below.  There’ll be a historical perspective written in the coming weeks, and your feedback would be much appreciated.

Do you remember the great fire of June 25, 1960?  Did you rack up a game or two at the pool hall?  How about a perfect game at the bowling alley?  Regardless of your memory – sordid or not – drop us a comment below and let us know your Rex-Collections of the facility!

One response to “Rex-collections: Who Remembers the Rex?”

  1. Sandy Okeefe says:

    My father, Bernie McCormack along with Marty Burke were the head bartenders at the Rex. Many a day after school at the immaculate conception, I would walk down to the Rex and sit in the corner of the bar, and my father would have a glass full of cherries and a little bit of Coke waiting for me. I remember well, the day of the fire, my father was ironing his shirt for work when it came over radio I think he was listening to WLLH that the rex was on fire. He and I both ran down to the Rex. I think l was 11 years old.

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