This O’Mahony was replaced by the current massive 1950s stainless O’Mahony which currently stands in Aberdeen, Maryland. It, in turn, replaced an older diner, the Ideal Diner.
The New Ideal Diner
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The Forest Diner – A Final Farewell
The official notification hanging in the diner:
Deal Loyal Forest Diner Patrons,
After 66 years of serving the finest food in Howard County, the Forest Diner will be opening our doors for the last time on Monday, May 28. We would like to thank everyone who has allowed us to become part of their lives over the years. It has been our pleasure to serve each and every one of you.
While the Diner will be closing, we have partnered with Jilly’s Bar and Grill, which is right across the street in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center, to continue the tradition of fine food and service that you have come to expect from us. So what does that mean? Quite simply, this means the Forest Diner without the dining car.
Starting on may 29, Jilly’s will be open at 6am to serve you. You will be able to get the same food as the Forest Diner, prepared and served by the Forest Diner staff, for the same price. The management team at Jilly’s is looking forward to exceeding your expectations for breakfast and lunch.
As part of their commitment to you, we would like for you to write your name and contact information in the notebook located by the register. Jilly’s is in the process of making a Diner Loyalty Card, which will entitle our loyal customers to receive special deals at Jilly’s.
Once again, thank you for being part of our family over the years. And while we will miss the dining car, we do hope to see you at our new home at Jilly’s.
Truly yours,
The Staff of the Forest Diner
Over the years, the Forest Diner has become entirely encased in later renovation, leaving the Silk City unrecognizable from the street.
neon sign
Inside, however, the original diner is in extremely good condition, having been protected from the elements for decades.
Inside
The diner is Silk City 5076, meaning it was the 76th diner built by Silk City in 1950. It was originally known as Gearhart’s Diner and was opened by a Bob Gearhart. It was sold in 1957 to William Carl Childress and was renamed the Forest Diner. He operated it until his death in 1998.
I’m not sure where the 1946 date that the diner and the news stories have been using comes from. I suppose this could have been a replacement for an earlier diner, bought either new or secondhand. I need to do some digging.
Waitress Ellen Jackson in the diner.
Neon with the Enchanted Forest in the background. The Enchanted forest was supposedly the nation’s second theme park, opening just after Disney.
Soft stuff is also closing with the diner
Directly next door to the Forest Diner- a Kullman which opened in 1998 as the Princess diner and was bought out a bit later by the Double T diner chain. There was a lot of head scratching in ’98 as to why they would open a diner next to another diner, and speculation as to its effect on the Forest diner’s business.
More stories on the closing
http://www.newspapersites.net/newspaper/howard-county-times.asp
http://ellicottcity.patch.com/articles/farewell-forest-diner
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-10-27/news/1998300064_1_forest-diner-parlette-forest-owner
Double T Diner Matchbook
Here’s another matchbook cover I just got.
The Pulaski Highway Double T Diner, before it was unfortunately remodeled into the current Happy Day Diner.
Before and after photos here.
The Spot Diner – Baltimore, Maryland
The Spot Diner was located at 220 N. Franklintown Road, Baltimore, MD, an industrial neighborhood just off Rt. 40.
While the matchbook graphic obviously exaggerates the diner’s size, it does appear to be a representation of the diner itself, and not just a stock image. It looks like the diner was sold in 1954 and changed its name to the Franklintown Diner. It was sold again in 1962.
The site is now home to Calmi Electric. The windows and proportions are right for a covered diner, as is the foundation and window/door deletes on the other side of the building. But the setup and size don’t look consistent with what’s on the match cover, even taking into account the exaggeration. So at the moment- it’s a big who knows. Further investigation is necessary.
Matchbook from the collection of Spencer Stewart
Happy Mothers Day
To all the mothers, sons and daughters out there- Happy Mothers Day!
My mother at the Lincoln Diner, Gettysburg, PA.
The Lehigh Diner
Kevin Patrick will be checking this one out at some point to see what, if anything, is left inside. Formerly the Leigh Diner of Union, NJ, now Garden Buffet.
1181 Morris Avenue Union Township, NJ 07083
Al’s Broadway Diner
Another one that’s still hanging in there- barely- under layers of renovation.
The black and gold matchbook shows an older diner, replaced by the one in the interior shot.
Formerly Al’s Broadway Diner, now El Conde Steak House. Broadway and East 184th, NYC.
Jerry and Bert’s
Another in the seemingly endless series of bad remodeling through the decades. This time, it’s Jerry and Bert’s of Painesville, Ohio, which got the mansard and cupola treatment over its original moderne glass brick and enamel panel facade.
Lincoln Diner – Gettysburg PA
This Silk City diner opened in 1955 at the corner of Carlisle St. and W. Railroad St, Gettysburg PA. It was originally called the Varsity Diner. Business must have been booming, because just five years later, in 1960, two dining rooms were added, boosting the seating by 130. As the announcement for the dining rooms says that the one pictured is the “first-floor” dining room, I assume there must have also been one in the basement.
By 1969, the diner had become George Grawe’s Cannon Cafeteria. A color postcard of the dining room of the diner from this era can be found here. It didn’t last long as the Cannon, and by 1971, it had again changed names, to the Lincoln Diner.
Over the years, the diner and its dining room addition had been encased in environmental style remodeling. In 1995 the decision was made to bring the diner back to a more 1950s look, and stainless and neon were added over top of the previous work. The photo with the motorcycle was taken just after the new stainless work was completed. The last two shots are as it appears now.
Tremont Diner – Dowling’s Flyer
I was sent the second and fourth photos by Jane Lunden, whose grandfather, T. Fred Dowling, formerly owned this diner. The barrel roofed model was replaced by a double ended Sterling Streamliner, possibly a secondhand diner from Connecticut. It stayed in the family through the 1960s, at which point it was sold. After that, it’s unclear what became of the diner, other than that the site is now home to car repair businesses.
The first photo is from the NYPL collections, and shows the barrel roof model in a different color scheme.
If anyone has any further information on this diner, its history, or when it was demolished, please contact me.
Diner Hunter 