Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company
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.[1] 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".
History
[edit]Jerry O'Mahony (1890–1969) of Bayonne, New Jersey, is credited by some[by whom?] to have made the first "diner".[2] In 1912, the first lunch wagon built by Jerry and Daniel O'Mahoney and John Hanf was bought for $800 by restaurant entrepreneur Michael Griffin and operated at Transfer Station in Hudson County, New Jersey. The wagon helped spark New Jersey's golden age of diner manufacturing.[3]
It is estimated that about 20 remain in the United States as of 2022.[4]
Examples
[edit]United States
[edit]- Miss Wakefield, originally Pat & Bob's in Albany, New York, is the northernmost O'Mahony Diner in the United States. It was built in 1949, rescued from a junkyard there, and trucked to a new home in Sanbornville, New Hampshire.[5]
- Summit Diner, a 1938 model, is in Summit, New Jersey.
- Hillsville Diner in Carroll County, Virginia is believed to be the oldest Southern diner (non–stainless-steel style).
- Triangle Diner,[6] a 1948 stainless steel O'Mahony original model, is in the old town of Winchester, Virginia. The oldest stainless-steel-style O'Mahony diner in Virginia, it is being restored to its original appearance.
- Tommy's Deluxe Diner was moved in 2007 from Middletown, Rhode Island, to Oakley, Utah, where it opened as the Road Island Diner.
- Miss America, Jersey City, New Jersey, a 1942 classic stainless steel model, sits next to the New Jersey City University campus.[7]
- Shawmut Diner of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was donated in 2014 to the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where it serves as a training facility for inmates.[8]
- TJ's (formerly the Point Diner) in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, is a 1940 O’Mahony diner,[9] although its exterior has been renovated and no longer has the stainless-metal look. The diner is in the Tamaqua Historic District.
- Palace diner 1923, in Gloversville New York.
- Mill Pond Diner, in Wareham, Massachusetts, formerly operated as Earnshaw's Diner in Fall River, Massachusetts[10]
- Kelly's Diner, Somerville, Massachusetts, built 1953. Formerly located in New Castle, Delaware[11]
- Tilt'n Diner, Tilton, New Hampshire, built 1953. Formerly operated as the Monarch Diner in Waltham, Massachusetts.[11]
- Seaplane Diner, moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1973 from its former location in Woonsocket. Dates from either the 1940s or 1950s.[11]
- Zip's Diner, Dayville, Connecticut[11]
- Mickey's Diner, in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It has been in continuous operation at the same location since 1939.[12]
- Joni's Diner, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin[13] Originally the DeCoven Diner for 51 years in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, the L-shaped diner was moved to Walworth County in 2016.[14]
Closed
[edit]
- Bishop's 4th Street Diner, in Newport, Rhode Island, was in continuous use in Newport from 1967 to 2022.[15] Previously located on Route 6 in Swansea, Massachusetts as "The Princeton Diner."[4] It was moved to Admiral Kalbfus Road in Newport in 1967 as "The Galley Diner," then "The 4th Street Diner" (a tongue-in-cheek name, since no 4th Street exists in Newport).[4] In 1998, renamed "Bishop's 4th Street Diner" after a new owner.[4] The diner closed in 2022 to make way for a Seasons Market and gas station.[4][16] After its closure, the diner was sold in October 2022 and moved to New Hampshire, where new owners plan to eventually reopen it as a restaurant.[17]
Outside the United States
[edit]Overseas examples include:
- The former Murphy's Diner from Cambridge, Massachusetts, now the '50s American Diner in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom.
- A 1947 model operated as The Excellent Diner in Westfield, New Jersey, until it closed in 1995; shipped to Germany, it now operates at Disneyland Paris as Café des Cascadeurs (Café of the Stuntmen).
Pre-war Streamline Moderne-style diners
[edit]At least 26 pre-war Streamline Moderne-style O'Mahony diners (built between 1932 and 1941) still existed as of 2015.[18] These include the smaller 50' × 10' Mickey's Diner serial number 1067 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which is one of several listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the 40' × 16' Collin's Diner[19] serial number 1103 in North Canaan, Connecticut; and the 1938 Summit Diner in Summit, N.J. The Road Island Diner (O'Mahony Dining Car #1107) was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on August 21, 2009.[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Offitzer, Karen (2002). Diners. New York, NY: New Line Books. p. 46. ISBN 1-57717-052-0.
- ^ p.16 Westergaard, Barbara A Guide to New Jersey Rutgers University Press
- ^ Gabriele, Michael C. (May 2018). "Jersey Gems". New Jersey Monthly. p. 43.
- ^ a b c d e Barrett, Scott (12 August 2022). "As customers say goodbye to Bishop's 4th Street Diner a new owner is in the works". The Newport Daily News. USA Today. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Miss Wakefield Diner, Sanbornville, New Hampshire".
- ^ "Security Check Required". www.MikesTriangleDiner.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ "Miss America Diner". www.NJCU.edu. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ "Shawmut Diner donated to Bristol County House of Corrections for job training". ABC6.com. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ Butko, B., Patrick, K., Weaver, K.R., Breuil, J., Diners of Pennsylvania, Stackpole – Mechanicsburg (2nd. Ed. 2011), p.187
- ^ "In the News: Mill Pond Diner". Diner News and History. 11 February 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d "The Best Diners in New England". Visiting New England. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ Wikipedia
- ^ Webb, Beth (27 April 2023). "Joni's Diner: Bustling retro space a Lake Geneva lunch and breakfast go-to". GazetteXtra. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "About Joni's Diner". Joni's Diner. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "'We're gonna fight to the end': Fate of Newport diner up in the air as landowner submits plan for demolition". WPRI.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "'If love could save us, we'd have no problem at all': Historic Newport diner ordered to leave property or risk demolition". WPRI.com. 23 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Amanda, Milkovits. "From the City by the Sea to the mountains of New Hampshire: Beloved Newport diner moves north - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "A classic Jersey diner comes to an end - Di Ionno". NJ.com. March 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ "Welcome to the Collin's Diner". CollinsDiner.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ Garbin, Randy. "RoadsideOnline Diner Finder". Coffee Cup Media. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
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| Notable diners |
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Categories:
- Diner manufacturers
- Companies based in Union County, New Jersey
- 1917 establishments in New Jersey
- Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1917
- Bayonne, New Jersey
- Companies based in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Companies based in Elizabeth, New Jersey
- American companies established in 1917
- Companies disestablished in 1952
- 1952 disestablishments in New Jersey