Casey's Diner

Last updated
Casey's Diner
Caseys Diner.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Natick, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°17′8″N71°20′43″W / 42.28556°N 71.34528°W / 42.28556; -71.34528 Coordinates: 42°17′8″N71°20′43″W / 42.28556°N 71.34528°W / 42.28556; -71.34528
Built1922
Architect Worcester Lunch Car Company
Part of Natick Center Historic District (ID77000186)
MPS Diners of Massachusetts MPS
NRHP reference No. 99001122 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 22, 1999
Designated CPDecember 16, 1977

Casey's Diner is a historic ten-stool diner located at 36 South Avenue in downtown Natick, Massachusetts, famous for its steamed hot dogs that "snap" when first bitten into. Casey's is one of the oldest operating diners in Massachusetts, and possibly in the United States.

Contents

History

Only 10 by 20.5 feet, the diner was constructed in 1922 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was originally designed as a lunch cart on wheels, and was located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Fred Casey bought the building in 1927 and moved it to Washington Street across from Natick Common. It was relocated to South Avenue in 1977 to make way for a bank parking lot. [2]

The diner is nine bays wide and three deep. It has a metal barrel roof, and is clad in galvanized steel panels that have been painted yellow. It is mounted on a concrete block foundation, and connected in the rear to a concrete block building which houses the kitchen. There are two entrances: one in the center of the front, and one at the west end; both still have their original wooden doors. Much of the interior is oak, including the counter, counter apron, stools, and ceiling. [2]

The diner was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999; [1] it was also listed as a contributing element in the Natick Center Historic District in 1977. [2]

Present day

The diner is still operating. The most popular steamed, "snap" hot dog is the "all around" which includes yellow mustard, relish, and chopped, raw onions all placed under the hot dog in a steamed bun. The menu includes hamburgers and cheeseburgers, sandwiches, chips, drinks, and pies. Recently, breakfast hours and menu items were introduced and a double cheeseburger was added to the menu. A Friday-only fish special is served.

See also

Related Research Articles

Natick, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. 10 miles (16 km) west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. Massachusetts's center of population was in Natick at the censuses of 2000-2020, most recently in the vicinity of Hunters Lane.

Diner Restaurant

A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found all over the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a combination of booths served by a waitstaff and a long sit-down counter with direct service, in the smallest simply by a cook. Many diners have extended hours, and some along highways and areas with significant shift work stay open for 24 hours.

Blue Moon Diner United States historic place

The Blue Moon Diner, originally the Miss Toy Town Diner, is a historic diner in Gardner, Massachusetts. Built in 1949, it is well-preserved example of a late-model barrel-roofed diner manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company. It has been located at its present location since 1954. The diner was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Agawam Diner United States historic place

The Agawam Diner is an historic diner at 166 Newburyport Turnpike in Rowley, Massachusetts. Manufactured in 1954, it was moved to this location in 1970 after first being located in Ipswich. It is the town's only diner, and one of only six in the state manufactured by the Fodero Dining Car Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Als Diner United States historic place

Al's Diner is a historic diner at 14 Yelle Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It was, at the time of its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, one of only of two diners in Massachusetts built by Master Diner of Pequannock, New Jersey, which operated from 1940 to the 1970s. The diner was brought to Chicopee in 1958, and has been known variously as Al's Diner, Al's Restaurant, and The White Diner. Until 1983 Al's Diner was a 24-hour operation; the diner presently serves breakfast and lunch, with limited dinner hours on Thursdays and Fridays.

New Bay Diner Restaurant United States historic place

The New Bay Diner Restaurant is a historic diner in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was manufactured by the Mountain View Diners Company in Signac, New Jersey in 1957; it is believed to be the second-to-last diner the company built before it shut down later that year. The diner is attached to a concrete block structure which houses the kitchen and restrooms, and appears to also date to 1957. At the time of its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, it was one of six surviving Mountain View diners in Massachusetts, and the only diner remaining in Springfield.

Anns Diner United States historic place

Ann's Diner is a historic diner at 11 Bridge Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts, United States.

Lloyds Diner United States historic place

Lloyd's Diner is a historic diner at 184A Fountain Street in Framingham, Massachusetts. Formerly Whit's Diner in Orange, Massachusetts, it was moved its present location in 1990. Built as #783 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company in 1942, it was operated by Robert and Richard Whitney until about 1960 as Whit's, and then under other ownership as the Orange Diner. It was purchased by Richard and Joan Lloyd in 1990 and moved to Framingham.

Town Diner United States historic place

The Deluxe Town Diner is a historic diner in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Jacks Diner United States historic place

Jack's Diner is a historic diner at 901 Main Street in Woburn, Massachusetts. Built in 1952 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as #834, it is believed to be the only surviving stainless steel diner built by the company that is located in Massachusetts. It is located on a site that has housed a diner since at least 1937, when the Worcester Lunch Car Company also delivered a diner to this site. The original diner was called Shipper's Diner, but the one delivered in 1952 was known as Jack's. The proprietor of the establishment is not listed in city directories. By 1975 the diner had been renamed Stella's; as of 2011 it houses a Thai restaurant.

Wilsons Diner United States historic place

Wilson's Diner is a historic diner at 507 Main Street in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Monarch Diner United States historic place

The Owl Diner, formerly known as the Monarch Diner is a historic diner at 246 Appleton Street in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Boulevard Diner United States historic place

The Boulevard Diner is a historic diner at 155 Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built by Worcester Lunch Car Company in 1936 as #730. It is a well-preserved instance of a barrel-roof diner that the company made in significant numbers in the years before the Second World War, and the city's best-preserved 1930s diner. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Corner Lunch United States historic place

The Corner Lunch Diner is a historic diner at 133 Lamartine Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built c. 1955 and moved to Worcester in 1968, it is the largest diner in the city, and a rare example in New England of remodeling work done by the Musi Dining Car Company of Carteret, New Jersey. The diner was built c. 1955 by DeRaffele Diners of New Rochelle, New York, and first installed in Babylon, New York. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Miss Worcester Diner United States historic place

The Miss Worcester Diner or Worcester Lunch Car # 812 is a historic diner at 302 Southbridge Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1948 by Worcester Lunch Car Company and is located across the street from the company's Worcester factory. While independently owned and operated, it was used by the Lunch Car Company as a "showroom" diner, and a testbed for new features.

Chadwick Square Diner United States historic place

The Chadwick Square Diner or Worcester Lunch Car Company Diner #660 or Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner is an historic diner at 95 Prescott Street (rear) in Worcester, Massachusetts. Although the building faces Grove Street, it is attached to one of the 19th century Washburn and Moen Works buildings which fronts on Prescott Street. The diner is a rare early version of a streetcar-inspired design, and may be the only one of its type in the state. It is 40 feet (12 m) long and 14 feet (4.3 m) deep, with twelve window bays. It has a monitor-style roof with clerestory windows, and entrances at the ends under roof overhangs. The northern entrance now serves as an emergency exit, while the south entrance now serves as the main entrance to the nightclub in the attached building. The interior is exceptionally well-preserved, retaining many of its original finishes.

Worcester Lunch Car Company

Worcester Lunch Car Company was a manufacturer of diners based in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1906 to 1957.

Miss Bellows Falls Diner United States historic place

Miss Bellows Falls Diner is a historic diner at 90 Rockingham Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont. The diner was constructed in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as #771, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Park Dinor Diner in Pennsylvania, United States

The Lawrence Park Dinor is a Silk City diner in Lawrence Park Township, Erie County in U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was opened in 1948, and has operated since then. The previous owner George Gourlias got the diner listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The spelling "dinor" is unique to northwestern Pennsylvania, and its origin is largely unknown.

Fullers Coffee Shop Diner in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Fuller's Coffee Shop is a diner serving standard American cuisine in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States. Established in 1947, the restaurant has operated from its location in downtown Portland since 1960. It serves breakfast all day, and the menu features a cheeseburger with an recipe that has not changed since the diner's establishment. Described as a greasy spoon, Fuller's has received a generally positive reception, and appeared in an episode of the television series Grimm in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Casey's Diner". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-05-08.