Silk City Diners

Silk City Diners was a division of the Paterson Wagon Company, later known as Paterson Vehicle Company, established by Everett Abbott Cooper and based in Paterson, New Jersey, which produced about 1,500 diners from 1926 until 1966.[1][2] Each was tagged with the year and order in which it was built; for example, 5607 would be the seventh diner manufactured in 1956.[3] Several have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Known Silk City diners

Known Silk City diners
Image Name Location Serial # Year Status Notes
1941 Silk City (George & Sally's Blue Moon Diner) Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, MI[4] 1941 Museum Originally at 514 Center St, Meriden, CT; restored and moved to museum 2004
Airport Diner Kutztown, Pennsylvania 6027 1960 Operating Builder's plates shown
40°30′23″N 75°47′19″W / 40.50634°N 75.78873°W / 40.50634; -75.78873
Baby's Burgers & Shakes State College, Pennsylvania 3071 Closed Year uncertain; serial number decoding suggests 1930 but other sources indicate c. 1962.
Biscuits and Barbecue Mineola, NY c. 1947 Closed Closed June 2024[5]
Chief Martindale Diner Claverack, NY 5807 1958 NY23 x Taconic Parkway
Country Girl Diner Chester, Vermont[6][7] Operating Serial number disputed; diner's own sources cite both #48211/1948 and #178/1944
Deepwater Diner Carneys Point, New Jersey 5809 1958 Operating Exterior altered 2011; structure intact[8]
Deligan's Diner[9] Massachusetts 4824 1948 Private Formerly in Peekskill, NY; not operating as a diner
Delta Diner Delta, Wisconsin 1940 Operating Originally from upstate New York; restored and reopened 2003
The Diner Horseheads, New York 1941 Operating Formerly Vic's Diner (Elmira, NY); moved to Horseheads 1974[10]
Doyle's Selbyville, Delaware 5092 1950 Operating Originally Woody's Diner; brought from Paterson, NJ in 1950. Delaware historical marker SC-247.[11]
Exmore Diner Exmore, Virginia 45103 1945
Fezz's Community Diner Coudersport, Pennsylvania 5413 1954 Originally Community Diner at Third & Broadway, South Bethlehem, PA. Reported closed June 2024; may have reopened under new ownership.
Kims Classic Diner Sabina, Ohio 4655 1946 NRHP listed
Lawrence Park Dinor Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania 1948 Operating NRHP listed; original location
42°09′02″N 80°00′52″W / 42.15063°N 80.01436°W / 42.15063; -80.01436
Larry's 50's Diner Woodbine, New Jersey 4502 1945 Operating Exterior covered; Silk City car underneath[12]
Lincoln Diner Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 5481 1954 Operating Builder's plate shown
Miss Albany Diner Albany, New York 4195 1941 Operating Now Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar; NRHP listed. Serial painted on undercarriage beam.[13]
42°39′46″N 73°44′41″W / 42.66278°N 73.74472°W / 42.66278; -73.74472
Monkey Thai Diner Clark, New Jersey 5562 1955 Operating Silk City car; operating as Thai restaurant[14]
Norm's Diner Groton, Connecticut 1953 Operating Formerly Paula's, and Tugboat Annie's[15]
Roadside Diner Wall, New Jersey 4932 1949 Operating Reopened July 2025 by Nick and Maria Kallas. Featured on Bon Jovi's Cross Road album cover.[16][17]
Route 30 Diner Ronks, Pennsylvania[18] 5904 1959 Operating Formerly Gehman's, Duke's, and Jennie's Diner; builder's plate shown
Salem Oak Diner Salem, New Jersey 5512 1955 Operating Listed for sale 2026. HABS documented (NJ-1157).[19]
Silk City Diner, Lounge, and Garden Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[20] 5907 1959 Operating Serial per builder's tag; business claims 1952[21]
Tom's Diner Ledgewood, New Jersey 1937 Demolished Originally the Silver Dollar Diner; renamed by Tom Seretis in 1958. Cited as the second-oldest known Silk City diner; no serial tag remaining. Setting for Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" video. Demolished April 2021.[22][23]
40°53′05″N 74°39′39″W / 40.88472°N 74.66083°W / 40.88472; -74.66083
Uncle Milty's Glenmont, New York 3671 1936 Serial documented via tag photo[24]
Victoria Diner Branchville, New Jersey 1950 Operating 250 US-206[25]
Village Diner Red Hook, New York 5113 1951 Operating Also known as Halfway Diner or Historic Village Diner; NRHP listed. Retains original builder's plate.[26]
41°59′48″N 73°52′27″W / 41.99667°N 73.87417°W / 41.99667; -73.87417
West Shore Diner Lemoyne, Pennsylvania 1930s Operating One of the earliest surviving working Silk City diners; builder's plate shown
40°14′28″N 76°54′13″W / 40.24102°N 76.90348°W / 40.24102; -76.90348

See also

References

  1. ^ "North Jersey News and Information | NorthJersey.com". www.northjersey.com. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  2. ^ Gutman, Richard (2000), American Diner Then and Now, JHU Press, ISBN 9780801865367
  3. ^ "Diner FAQs".
  4. ^ "Home". gilmorecarmuseum.org.
  5. ^ "Biscuits & Barbeque Of Long Island Closing: 'We Are So Grateful'". Patch. 2024.
  6. ^ "Dinner webpage".
  7. ^ Must-stop diners in Vermont.
  8. ^ "Silk City Diners in New Jersey". Dinerville.
  9. ^ Diners of New England. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3141-6.
  10. ^ "Our Story". The Diner.
  11. ^ "Woody's/Doyle's Diner historical marker". Delaware Public Archives.
  12. ^ "Silk City Diners in New Jersey". Dinerville.
  13. ^ "Farewell, Miss Albany". Roadside Fans. 2012-02-14.
  14. ^ "Silk City Diners in New Jersey". Dinerville.
  15. ^ "In the News - Norm's Diner". Diner History. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Husband-wife team brings back vintage-style diner to Wall Township". News 12 New Jersey. 2025-07-03.
  17. ^ Genovese, Peter. "Coolest-looking diner in New Jersey", The Star-Ledger, August 1, 2013. Accessed 2014-09-22.
  18. ^ "Route 30 Diner - Dinerville".
  19. ^ "Salem Oak Diner for sale". New Jersey 101.5. 2026.
  20. ^ "AboutSilk City Diner Bar & Lounge". Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
  21. ^ "Silk City Diner". Dinerville.
  22. ^ Westhoven, William (2021-04-09). "History demolished: Time's up for 'landmark' Tom's Diner in Roxbury". Daily Record.
  23. ^ "Silk City Diners in New Jersey". Dinerville.
  24. ^ "Diner FAQs". Roadside Fans.
  25. ^ "Silk City Diners in New Jersey". Dinerville.
  26. ^ "Restaurant of the month: the "Historic" Village Diner". Secret Trips. 2025-01-05.
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