We always try to stop at the A-1 when we’re driving through Maine. It’s one of my all time favorite diners. Great food, a fantastic and well preserved Worcester Semi-Streamliner and a really friendly attitude. My dad came to pick me up in Halifax to drive me back to Maryland, and hit it on the way up, so unfortunately, I missed it this year, but enjoy his pictures!

Nice old signs. A confused environmental meets postmodern meets retro diner.

A fantastic piece of neon.

Originally at the site was a 1951 Silk City. There’s a huge truck stop “diner” there now. I’m not 100% sure if the diner got torn down or whether there’s a tiny unrecognizable bit still left within the current structure.

Under all that stonework hides an old O’Mahony, with a fantastic space-age vestibule.

Here’s a news story from its re-opening in 2007, with a bit of the diner’s background.

As promised, high quality versions of the Little Tavern photos I won off ebay a while ago.

The Yankee Diner is re-Opening Wednesday the 13th!

The hours are 5:30a-2p M-F, and 6:30a-3p Sat and Sun.
16 Worcester Rd (Rte 20), Charlton, MA 01507
(774)-696-6192

Current pictures from their facebook page.
The website yankeediner.com will be up and running soon as well.

Once I get the original prints of these, I’ll post high-resolution versions, detail shots, and whatever else I can dig up on these locations. For now, take a look at these- I’ve cleaned them up, color corrected and tried to perspective correct from the shots in the listing I won them from.

From Duke University OAAA

900 Block- North Ave, Baltimore


Looks like this may be the same location

3200 W. Belvedere Baltimore, MD


Another View, this one taken in the 1960s for Little Tavern Shops Inc.

As it appears now

From the Duke University Signage Collection

approximately 2843 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore, MD

Corner of N. Charles and W. North St. Baltimore, MD

As it appears now. The large building with the Rug Cleaning sign is gone, as are many others on the street. The location is now a “New York Fried Chicken”, but you can see on the brickwork where the enamel panels would have attached.

From the Duke University OAAA collection.

This ’30s Kullman challenger burned down and was replaced with a 1992 Musi, located at 6652 Belair Road, Baltimore, MD

The overlea

The original Overlea

The Overlea Diner, for me, is one of the high points of the last generation of diner building Design-wise, it looks original, like something that would roll out of a New Jersey builder in the mid 1950s. It isn’t wildly over the top, in scale or detail. It doesn’t seat hundreds. It isn’t mirror finished with a two story glass brick vestibule. It isn’t “retro”, it isn’t “nostalgic” it just is what it is, and leaves it at that.

The current diner bearing the Overlea name was built in 1992 by Musi. It replaced a prewar diner, which can be seen in the postcard. Going from photos hanging in the diner (which unfortunately I did not have a chance to photograph), the diner was entirely encased at some point, making it all but unrecognizable for what it was.
It burned down and was replaced by what you see today. The floor-plan is somewhat unusual, with the kitchen on the right hand side of the diner, the counter on the left and a brick dining room off the back. It burned, and was replaced by the stainless model currently gracing the lot.