Greg Nagy posted:I read that the 'Ye Olde College Diner' in State College, PA was recently torn down. Apparently, it was originally a Ward and Dickinson opened in 1929 that had been built and rebuilt over and around many times over. The original structure was found as part of the demolition.
Never realized it was there during the many breakfasts, dinners, and late night Grilled Stickies runs I made in the early 90s.
Greg,
Thank-you for this unfortunate update. Ward and Dickinson (1923-1940? NY), as I recall, was a diner manufacturer favored by Bickford's Pancake restaurants and there aren't too many of them around. I just tried to find an article to see whether the original structure was saved by a preservation group. This topic started out with a nod to the fact that some trolleys encased in later restaurant additions were saved this way.
No luck so far, but this link does have a video showing the wonderful neon, chrome, tile and wood work that was lost. The red and white steaming coffee cup that projected from the chrome overhang would be great to copy on a model. $1.5 million for the site and the Grilled Stickies will still be available -- so they say.
Tomlinson Run Railroad
