Another in the Diner Disaster Series
The Broadway Diner, 271 W. First Street, South, Fulton, NY, exploded in 1946 as the result of a gas leak, destroying the kitchen and knocking the diner from the foundation.
The diner had a typical siting near the mills of Fulton, NY, on a steep slope leading to the river.

White Tavern Shops was founded in 1929 by Jerome Lederer. He lived in Louisville, KY in 1928, where he would have seen the early Days of “Little Tavern Shops”. It’s possible that he worked for them, and like confirmed Little Tavern employee, Leonard Higdon, left to form his own copycat version, called “Little Castle”
By the peak of the chain, they had 13 locations. With WWII, the chain wound down. In 1946, Lederer opened the first of what would become a chain of Jerry’s Restaurants. After Lederer’s death in 1963, his restaurant’s manager, Warren Rosenthal took control of the operation, going on to found Long John Silvers under the corporate umbrella.

The name “White Tavern” combined the names of two hamburger chains popular in Kentucky at the time, Little Tavern Shops, and White Castle. The slogan “Buy a Bagful” is the exact same as that used by White Tower, and mirrors Little Tavern’s of “Buy ’em By The Bag” and White Castle’s of “Buy ’em by the Sack”.

They had locations at:

216-1/2 South Limestone, Lexington, KY (1st location)

113 North Limestone Street, Lexington, KY

265 East Main Street, Lexington, KY

http://kdl.kyvl.org/catalog/xt702v2c8t1s_4628_1
http://kdl.kyvl.org/catalog/xt702v2c8t1s_4692_1

518 West Main Street, Lexington, KY. Later the “Jerry Freez” ice cream stand was opened next door.

327 West Main Street Danville, KY

Frankfort, KY

Trenton, NJ

308 W Washington Street, Charleston, WV

1215 Washington Street, Charleston, WV

A little after midnight on May 30, 1966, The Park Avenue Diner, 107 Park Avenue, Stroudsburg, PA exploded. The explosion was blamed on a leak of bottled propane after the installation of a new stove. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, as the diner had closed early that night.

It looks like what is now Compton’s Pancake House was built on the site after the remains of the old diner were cleared away. Photos

On Thursday, January 12, 1956, The Miss Batavia Diner, 556 Main Street, Batavia, NY, exploded from a natural gas leak in the basement, killing one.

On a sidenote, unrelated to the explosion, it’s interesting that the diner had been mostly absorbed into a building by the point of its demise, with a large vestiblue and roof.

Photos from the Buffalo Courier Press, Jan 13, 1956.

More on the explosion, with a different set of photos from another newspaper can be found here.

Mountain View #489 started life in 1957 in Crownsville, Maryland.  In 1963, it relocated to Front Royal, VA, reopening as the Mount Vista Diner.  It stopped serving food over a decade ago, last operating as the office of a used car lot.  Recently the diner was moved off of its foundations, wrapped, and is currently sitting awaiting transport. It will be going into storage somewhere either in VA or PA shortly.

Wrapped photos taken October 28, 3013 by Michael G. Stewart

Here’s another drawing I finished recently.  The Rosebud Diner, Somerville, MA.

I recently finished this drawing of New Jersey’s own Caribbean Motel. 

The Lexington Diner was located on Rt. 309 in Line Lexington, PA. It had doors at either end, globe lights, a monitor roof, and subtle stainless steel trim on the panels. The end windows were half-moon shaped. O’Mahony?  The name was done in raised bolt on letters. Check out the neon sign reflected in the car’s hood in the foreground.  This was attached to a two story stone semi- moderne style building and next to a mobilgas station.  I wonder if this was replaced in the 1970s by Zoto’s?

A postcard from the diner:

The Do-Nut Dinette chain was headquartered in Charlotte, NC, and had locations throughout the South.
Though still imcomplete, here is a working list of locations.

11329 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland

1307 W. Franklin Ave., Gastonia, NC
141 East Front St., Statesville, NC
429 W. Palmetto, Statesville, NC
111 North Church St., Burlington, NC
511 Summit Ave., Greensboro, NC
702 N. Mangum, Durham, NC
1010 W. Main, Durham, NC
756 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC
1722 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC
1623 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC (possible?)
2125 N. Tryon, Charlotte, NC
420 N. Graham, Charlotte, NC

919 Main Street, Anderson, SC
631 Saluda Ave, Columbia, SC
518 Easley Bridge Rd., Greenville, SC (possibly still there?)

Falls Church, VA
20 South St, Front Royal, VA Front Royal, VA
674 N Loudoun St Winchester, VA
W. State Street, Waynesboro, VA
1917 Colley Ave Norfolk, VA
189 Warwick Road, (HV) Newport News, VA
9967 Warwick Blvd, Newport News, VA
628 South Washington, Alexandria, VA