Here’s a recent addition to the collection- just arrived today.
This sign came off the Lincoln Diner in Chambersburg, PA. The diner itself is now long since gone.
If any of you out there have a picture of the Lincoln Diner, I’d love to see it!
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time or room in our stomachs to eat at Chick’s Diner this time around, so this was just a photo stop. This well preserved Mountain View built diner is located at 1032 Moosic St Scranton, PA.
The diner at Tannersville was unfortunately closed when these pictures were taken. It’s nicely preserved and a rare model. It’s located in Tannersville, PA.
Frank’s Diner is a Kullman Princess, originally from Carney’s Point, New Jersey, where it was known as the Olympia Diner. It’s original foundation and kitchen are still there as of last I checked. Frank’s is located in Jessup, Maryland and as you can see, looks great.
Bob’s in Bainbridge, NY was a homebuilt dating to 1935, following the design and proportions of factory build models but wider. It’s been remodeled several times and the original barrel roof shape is no longer recognizable.
While we’re on the topic of the Summit Diner, here are some photos, mainly of the interior, from the past six years.
July 2004- more or less as it came from the factory, with 40+ years of wear.
Jan 2007- ceiling beams painted black, some reupholstered stools
2007- original wallpaper on far back wall. Fits with the colonial/western interior theme
2007
Jan 2008- new stools, new counters, formica replaced with diamondplate or quilted stainless, clock covered over with stainless and retro coca cola clock. Doors to kitchen replaced with stainless. Wagon wheel light fixtures replaced with stainless.
Jan 2008 – middle row of booths removed, replaced with retro boomerang formica topped tables. Back wall with original wallpaper painted over black, copies of magazines mentioning diner framed. Formica replaced with diamond plate aluminum or stainless. Woodwork painted black.
December 15, 2009
2009
My apologies for the poor photos, but here are some shots of the All American Diner of 10590 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, Florida, which I took today from the car. It’s a 1996 Starlite.
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.
Here’s a neat little abandoned place, which looks like it once had a very diner-esque exterior, with the stainless and enamel ribbing.
The sign in the window reads “Spencer’s Trailer Sales”- probably the builder. Was this their office?
I thought this would tie in nicely with my previous post. The bridgeville is a ’40s O’Mahony, a particularly large model, featuring a striped red and blue enamel and stainless exterior, with blue upper windows. I like the diagonally ribbed tile on the interior, but I’m not sure if it’s original, I’ve never seen it before. This diner is very similar to the recently restored Road Island Diner, though this one has five bands of color, while the road island has four. This exterior is a nice transition from the fully enameled exteriors shown in the previous post to the later fully stainless ones.
Diner Hunter 