Miss Florence Diner | |
Location | 99 Main St., Florence village, Northampton, Massachusetts |
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Coordinates | 42°20′7″N72°40′18″W / 42.33528°N 72.67167°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Architect | Worcester Lunch Car Company; Agnoli Sign Company |
MPS | Diners of Massachusetts MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 99001123 [1] |
Added to NRHP | September 22, 1999 |
The Miss Florence Diner is a historic diner at 99 Main Street in the Florence section of Northampton, Massachusetts. It was manufactured in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company and is one of four diners in the city. At the time of its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, it had been owned by the same family since its construction. [2] [1]
The Miss Florence Diner is located in the center of the village of Florence, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of downtown Northampton. It sits on the north side of Main Street, just east of its junction with Maple Street. It has an L-shaped configuration, with barreled roofs in both directions, topped by a parapet on which the name of the diner appears in Moderne lettering. Mounted at the corner of the L is a distinctive chevron-shaped sign that bears its name. The exterior is finished mainly in enamel paneling, and the interior is finished in wood, tile, and enamel. The main entrance is now via a brick vestibule, which has a barrel-style shingled roof that extends over the side-facing steps. The diner is attached at the rear to a house that has been converted into a restaurant. [2]
The Miss Florence was opened in 1941 by Maurice Alexander and his wife, Pauline Florence (Matusewicz) Alexander. Originally located across the street in a different diner, it moved into what is now the core of the present structure later that year. That diner was manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, which also executed the enlargements to give it the L shape in 1949. These alterations included adding another bay on the left, and four (in a configuration perpendicular to the main diner body) on the right. The Alexanders lived in the house behind the diner, which they converted into a separate restaurant in 1959, joining the two together. [2]
A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, 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.
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.
The Agawam Diner is an historic diner at 166 Newburyport Turnpike in Rowley, Massachusetts. It was manufactured in 1954 and moved to this location in 1970 after first being 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.
The Dorsey–Jones House is a historic house located at 191 Nonotuck Street in the Florence area of Northampton, Massachusetts. Built in 1849, it is known to have been owned by two former slaves with well-documented escape histories. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
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.
Ann's Diner is a historic diner at 11 Bridge Road in Salisbury, Massachusetts, United States.
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.
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.
Rosebud is a historic diner building at 381 Summer Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, near Davis Square.
The Owl Diner, formerly known as the Monarch Diner is a historic diner at 246 Appleton Street in Lowell, Massachusetts.
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.
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. It was built 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.
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.
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 was a manufacturer of diners based in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1906 to 1957.
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.
The Central Diner, also called Paula's Kitchen and formerly known as The Elmwood Diner, Liberty Elm Diner, Jenn's Elmwood Diner, Ole Elmwood Diner, or Worcester Lunch Car Company Diner #806, is a historic Worcester Lunch Car Company diner at 777 Elmwood Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was a manufacturer of roadside diners from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm. Prefabricated in a factory and trucked to their locations, the diners resemble and are often confused with railroad rolling stock. The company's motto was "In our line, we lead the world".
The Donwell's Diner-Worcester Lunch Car Company Diner No. 774 or Miss Lorraine Diner is a historic dining car located at 560 Mineral Springs Avenue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, although much of the diner's existence has been in Connecticut. Through various new locations and owners, it has also been known as Squeak's Diner, as Drake's Diner, as Donovan's Diner, and as The Hotel Diner.