Modern Diner

The Modern Diner is a historic diner in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States.

Modern Diner
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Streetside view of the diner
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Location	364 East Ave., Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°52′8″N 71°23′13″W
Built	1940
Architect	J.B. Judkins Co.
NRHP reference No.	78000002[1]
Added to NRHP	October 19, 1978

Description

The Modern Diner is the only known surviving Sterling Streamliner diner still in operation. Its profile resembles that of a 1934 silver locomotive that once pulled the streamlined Burlington Zephyr train.^[2] The diner's roof, now painted maroon, was originally silver.^[3]

New York City inventor Roland Stickney designed the diner, which the John B. Judkins Company of Merrimac, Massachusetts manufactured in 1940.^[3][2] The diner was originally placed at 13 Dexter Street in Pawtucket.^[3] It operated at that site until 1984, when it was moved to its present location to avoid demolition.^[3] The diner was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.^[1] It was the first diner to be added to the register.^[4]

The diner has been held by the same owner for over 28 years.^[5] Its signature Custard French Toast was featured on television's Food Network as one of the "top five diner dishes in the US" in 2015.^{[5] [4]}

The COVID-19 pandemic caused it to reduce its services during 2020.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Interior
• 
  The diner's signature Custard French Toast

See also

• List of diners
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

References

1. "Modern Diner". National Register of Historic Places: Digital Archive on NPGallery: National Register Digital Assets. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
2. Witzel, Michael Karl (1999). "Chapter 3: Stainless Steel Visions And Neon Dreams: The Golden Age of American Diners". The American Diner. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0-7603-0110-4. LCCN 98049601. OCLC 809459262. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
3. Chase, David, Deputy Director, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission (November 21, 1977). "The Modern Diner". United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. Retrieved May 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) and photographs
4. "Modern Diner Named in Top Five Diner Dishes in America". GoLocal Prov. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
5. Ciampa, Gail (1 December 2015). "Pawtucket's Modern Diner Custard French Toast is best in America according to Food Network show". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
6. "Modern Diner". Pawtucket, Rhode Island: Modern Diner. 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

External links

• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. RI-385, "Modern Diner, 13 Dexter Street, Pawtucket, Providence County, RI", 11 photos, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
• Modern Diner web site