Though the neon is now gone, the Prospect Diner is better than ever. Great food, low low prices and a great diner atmosphere. This is one of my favorite ’50s diner designs. It’s transitional, not quite space age- not yet, but man does it ever look cool.
I had scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, homefries and toast. The home fries and hash were great; nice and crusty without being burnt, just they should be. The coffee was fresh and refills came fast.
We visited the former Pushnik’s Diner/ D’Alexander’s during a period between 2003 and 2006 when it was operating as the Horn & Horn diner. It was built in 1960 by the Fodero diner company and replaced an early model Silk City which had previously been on the site. It re-opened on Monday as Marabelle’s Restaurant. The full news story can be read HERE
Their new website is marabelles.com
Waterfall Rooms.
gold and stainless
Lightbulb Sputnik
Excellent 1960 space age styling. Quilted stainless, bold thin, outwardly canted supports, flared roof edge, recessed spotlights.
The original Patterson Vehicle Company built Silk City diner.
Here’s a photo taken several years ago of Pennsylvania’s Coventry Diner, a later Silk City which has undergone remodeling.
The four windows on the right are part of an addition. From that part left is the original diner.
Exterior of the Aberdeen eagle. The corner stainless and the curved window are still visible, but that’s about it. Brick and a red mansard roof disguise the true nature of the diner.
Aberdeen Eagle- All baking done on premises. The sign states that they’re open 24 hours, something becoming rarer all the time.
The rooftop neon. Presumably original to the diner, and not added at the time of the remodel.
The interior. Very boxy- lots of hard corners, almost no curves, other than that of the counter and the scalloped edges by the menu-board. It’s leaning towards the more space-age and environmental designs yet to come, while still staying within the confines of a classic 1950s stainless model.
Spindly stools with octagonal bases. Also interesting to note the use of an entirely tile floor. With the design of this diner, I would have expected terrazzo, and not older style mosaic tile.
Blue is the overwhelming color.
You don’t see too many of this model diner; not many with interiors with this kind of styling. What I have been able to find says it’s a mid ’50s Kullman. I’ve seen Kullman dinettes with similar boxy interiors, but this is the only full-sized diner I’ve been to quite like this. It has been covered over, years ago, with tan brick, with a dining room on the right, making it less recognizable from the road, especially when compared with the New Ideal Diner, just half a mile down the road and across the street. Inside it is essentially in-tact.
The Smyrna Diner is a 1965 Paramount diner, which replaced a smaller diner, from 1954. The original can be seen here. At some point, the futuristic exterior of the diner was covered in wood. Recently, the diner was replaced with a modern, on site diner. The old Paramount is now in the capable hands of Steve Harwin of Diversified Diners.
Exterior
Exterior
Freestanding sign. I believe this showed up on eBay a few months back.
Original sign, a bit cracked up.
Interior of the diner. Compare it to the vintage photo below.
Interior of the diner.
The exterior of the diner as it originally appeared. Since then, the tilework and much of the stainless has been covered in dark wood, while the windows have been replaced, drastically changing the look of the diner.
The interior of the diner as it originally appeared.
Picture of Diner being moved
The new diner.
Story of diner’s move in the Sun Times – September 24, 2008
http://oh-diners.com/
– Go to Diversified Diners, then Diners for Sale
From the Diversified Diners website:
“The. . . diner is a 1960’s Paramount Diner which operated in Smyrna, DE since it’s manufacture. It was a local landmark until the late summer of 2008 when it’s property lease expired and a new larger and more modern diner was built about a mile down the road. The Smyrna Diner tradition continues and now the original Paramount diner is ready for a restoration and a new lease on life. It measure 65 feet long by 19 foot wide (in two sections) not including the vestibule. It has seating for 83 patrons.”
The Happy Day Diner, is a 1959 DeRaffele, which in recent years, has been redone in recent years with a retro, back to the ’50s theme, complete with Elvis Presley on the vestibule, an a giant smiley face. Interesting that the smiley face wasn’t designed until 1963, and not really popularized until the ’70s, but then again, none of the rest is anything you would have ever seen in a diner in the ’50s, so it kind of follows.
From the Happy Day Diner website:
Back to the 50’s
back on time at the happy day diner, one of the maryland’s unique diner that trully represents de 50’s, bring you back to the old happy days. while you and your family enjoys the food, you also have a chance to take a look at the classic road riders, that hang around at every saturdays nights.
elvis look foward to see you soon .
One of the first diners in Maryland, funded in 1951 and still capted at the original 50’s atmosphere.Those are just a feel of the things that makes the happy day diner, a long time neighborhood favority, pleasent dining, and great cusine. The staff at happy day diner, prides themselves in serve you and your family, and they will ensure that our visit to the restaurant is a pleasent and memorable experince. unlike another restaurant, our menu is disigned to please everyone, at any time of the day. that means you can enjoy your dinner, while our partner eat breakfast, or enjoy some of our italian dishes, that will make you forget that you are not in little italy for while, with a big difference on the price. and your partner enjoing a delicious home made chicken pot pie, that not even mama could do better.
You can find the Happy Day Diner at:
8302 Pulaski Highway
Baltimore, MD 21237
Here is a shot of Irene’s taken yesterday
Versus how it used to look as the Short Stop
The exterior doesn’t look like the fluting is original, it reminds me of the replacement material used on Mel’s diner, the former Lincoln diner of Lebanon, PA.
The former Short Stop diner was also known as the Time Out Diner. It’s a 1950s kullman dinette.
Other similar models include the:
White Crystal, which has a reversed floorplan, with the corner door on the right, and the White Rose System of Linden, New Jersey.
Both of those diners, however, have canted corners, identifying them as later models. Irene’s is an earlier kullman, with flat vertical sections, and a four window front facade, instead of a five window. Earlier model Kullman dinettes retained the corner door, but had rounded windows.
Diner Hunter 
