Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National - Local government Register - University _ designated a National Historic Landmark _ Other -recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Vame of repository # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Al's Diner (preferred) Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Hampden County, Massachusetts County and State Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet.
(Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 18 698220 4673640 Zone Easting Northing 2. Zone Easting Northing (Deseribe the boundaties of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) zone Easting Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet 11. Form Prepared By name/title. Kathleen Kelly Broomer, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization_ Massachusetts Historical Commission _ date October, 2000 street & number220 Morrissey Boulevard _telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town_ Boston _ state_Massachusetts _ zip code_02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Northing Northing A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name - Mathews Family (building) Al's Diner street & number 14 Yelle Street Michael S. Pawlishen (land) Mar. Auto Repair 31 Prospect Street _ telephone - city or town_ Chicopee _ state_MA _ zip code_ 01013 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings.
Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Rev. 10-90) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 7 Page 1 OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Al's Diner Chicopee (Hampden Co.), MA 7. Description Al's Diner, 14 Yelle Street, Chicopee (1958, MHC # 798), is architecturally significant as one of only two diners in Massachusetts built by Master Diners of Pequannock, New Jersey. Al's Diner is the better preserved of the two. The other example of Master's work is the Windsor Diner (1958, not inventoried), located at the airport in Southbridge, which has a deck addition built onto the front. Al's Diner is situated in the Willimansett area of Chicopee, about three blocks southeast of the Willimansett Bridge, which crosses the Connecticut River between the cities of Chicopee and Holyoke. The site is a corner lot at a crossroads that is dominated by industrial and commercial buildings.
The diner occupies the southern end of the lot and faces north, with its east (side) elevation fronting Yelle Street. Northwest of the diner is a parking lot, and farther north, on the same lot, is a ca. 1920s brick commercial garage building. For the purpose of this nomination, the brick garage is a noncontributing building. Rectangular in massing, the prefabricated section of Al's Diner is eight bays wide and three bays deep. The steel-frame diner has stainless steel cladding that incorporates horizontal bands in red and blue porcelain enamel. The concrete block foundation has a brick veneer at the façade. A stainless steel parapet surrounds the monitor roof, which is clad with rubber membrane. There is a one-story, shed-roofed, concrete block kitchen wing, one bay deep, at the rear (south elevation).
This wing is unobtrusive and does not compromise the integrity of the prefabricated section of the diner. The diner has entries in the first and eighth bays, each displaying a steel and glass door and a steel hood. The entry hoods have steel panels with quilted motifs on the underside. Compared with other stainless steel diners of the same era, which have a pair of entries located in a projecting center vestibule, the end-bay entries on the Master diners were considered a distinctive feature, but one that also cut valuable floor space from the interior [Gutman, 154]. Windows in the diner are steel-rimmed and contain fixed plate glass. Given its small size, Al's Diner retains a wealth of roof-mounted signage. At the center is AL'S RESTAURANT, a sign that dates to the 1960s, with the second word executed in neon.
Mounted above this sign are two internally lit box signs that advertise Whole Cooked Hams to Take Home and French Meat Pie to Take Home. To the left (east) is a later, internally lit box sign that reads AL'S DINER. On the interior, the two entrances are now enclosed with wood and glass. There are six booths seating twenty- four along the north (façade) wall, and fourteen counter stools. The counter extends most of the length of the interior and has a center staff entrance. The back bar behind the counter retains the grill and is finished with steel wall panels in a sunburst motif. The remainder of the cooking is done in the rear kitchen. To the right (west) of the counter is the entrance to the restrooms. The original interior color scheme was salmon pink, pale grey, dark grey, and white.
One or more of these colors (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 7/8 2/1 Section number Page OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Al's Diner Chicopee (Hampden Co.), MA appears in the monitor ceiling, which is clad in laminate trimmed with steel; on the walls below the windows, which also are executed in laminate trimmed with steel; on the tables, which are laminate with steel supports; and in the terrazzo tile of the counter apron and the floor. The counter is white plastic laminate. Both the counter stools and the booths are upholstered in green vinyl. Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are recorded on the nominated property, it is possible that sites are present. Six sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile).
Environmental characteristics of the property also represent favorable locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, distance to wetlands) for many types of prehistoric sites. The property is situated on a well drained, level to moderately sloping terrace adjacent to a tributary stream of the Connecticut River. The property also lies within 1000 feet of the main channel of the Connecticut River. In general, however, the potential for locating significant prehistoric resources on the Al's Diner property is low. Installation of the diner, utilities, parking lot and non-contributing brick building on the less than one acre parcel have probably impacted any prehistoric resources present on the site. There is also a low potential for locating historic archaeological resources on the property.
No historic period resources have been identified that are related to or predate construction of the diner, parking lot and 1920's brick commercial garage building on the property. (end) 8. Statement of Significance Al's Diner, 14 Yelle Street (1958, MHC #798) is the last diner in Chicopee, and unusual in Massachusetts as one of only two diners in the state manufactured by Master Diners of Pequannock, New Jersey. Its form, with entries located at the front corners rather than in a central projecting vestibule, distinguishes Al's Diner from other post- World War II stainless steel diners in Massachusetts. Members of the Mathews family have been associated with the operation of the diner since 1959, when the business was known by its original name of The White Diner.
The diner was called Al's Restaurant in the 1960s and early 1970s, reflecting a trend in the diner industry toward creating a restaurant image. For these reasons, Al's Diner is of exceptional significance on both the local and state levels. Retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, Al's Diner meets Criteria A and C and Criteria Consideration G of the National Register at the state and local levels. In 1958, Al Thibault brought the present diner to Chicopee with the help of Charlie Dugre [history on menu for Al's Diner]. Originally, the diner was known as The White Diner. The origin of this name has not been (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 2 Page OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Al's Diner Chicopee (Hampden Co.), MA determined. In the spring of 1959, Anastasios "Toss" Mathews left his job with the Puritan Diner on Northampton Street in Holyoke, across the Connecticut River, to become the late-night short-order cook at The White Diner. Al Rubin bought the diner in 1962, and changed the name to Al's Restaurant. This decision reflected a trend in the diner industry toward providing a more family-oriented dining experience. This trend first surfaced in the 1950s and completely transformed the industry in the 1960s. [Gutman] Much of the cooking was removed from the area behind the counter to a separate kitchen, usually at the rear of the prefabricated section of the building. By drawing families, diner-restaurants could provide an alternative to, and therefore could better compete with, the booming fast food chains.
On February 1, 1975, the Mathews family purchased the diner-restaurant. By that time, two other family members also were involved in the operation: Costas "Gus" Mathews as cook, and Becky Mathews, Toss's wife, who helped out in the beginning and later took over the operation of the kitchen. The diner operated twenty- fours a day, seven days a week until 1983, when the diner was closed Sunday nights. Starting in 1985, the diner was closed Monday nights, then late-night hours were eliminated. The diner remains in the Mathews family. Al's Diner is located on Yelle Street, in an industrial area near the Willimansett Bridge in northwest Chicopee. Yelle Street was known after World War II as the Montgomery Street Cut-off. In 1939, Chicopee was selected as the home of the U. S. Army North Eastern Air Base, later known as the Air Transport Command, and known today as Westover Air Reserve Base.
In addition to having a major military base in its eastern quarter, Chicopee was the home of numerous manufacturing concerns after World War II. These businesses produced automobile tires, drop forgings, firearms, fabricated steel, sporting goods, toilet accessories, paper boxes, box containers, chemicals for paper-making, cotton products (surgical bandages), knit goods, boys' and youth's clothing, millinery, ladies underwear, meat products, bobbins, store furniture, office fixtures, and radio parts. A city directory for Chicopee from 1949 listed fifty-five restaurants, twelve of which were located in Willimansett. Two diners in the city at that time were the Falls Diner at 120 Main Street, Chicopee Falls, and the Market Square Diner at 253 Front Street, in the southern part of the city. The current location of these two diners has not been determined.
Al's Diner is the last diner in Chicopee. [DeForge] Massachusetts is home to numerous diners built by out-of-state manufacturers. Most of the Massachusetts diners that were manufactured in other states were built and brought to Massachusetts after World War II. Al's Diner is unusual as the better preserved of only two diners in Massachusetts produced by Master Diners of Pequannock, New Jersey. Arthur Schelling started the company in Pequannock in about 1940. Previously, Schelling had worked for two other New Jersey-based diner builders, Jerry O'Mahony Inc. and Paramount Diners. George Schelling and William Schelling, sons of Arthur Schelling, also worked for the company, and took over the company operations after their father's death in the 1960s.
The standard Master diner was a forty-footer, such as Al's Diner, though the company also made fifty-footers, sixty-footers, and "doubles." Most of the approximately sixty diners produced by Master Diners were shipped to states located east of the Mississippi River, and predominantly in the northeast United States. Master Diners went out of business in the 1970s. According to (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8/9/10 Page 2/1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Al's Diner Chicopee (Hampden Co.), MA George Schelling, this was due to a lack of demand for diners in the face of increased competition from fast food companies.
[Schelling interview] Diner historian Richard Gutman notes that Master was "a small company that built diners with an old-fashioned feel." [p. 234] Master diners reportedly were distinguished by stained glass transoms over the windows, though transoms are not present at Al's Diner. (end) 9. Major Bibliographical References Menu for Al's Diner, Chicopee, Massachusetts (includes history of diner). Interview with George Schelling, Pompton Plains, New Jersey. September 24, 1999. Information provided by Aldona Pintsch, Reference Librarian, Pequannock Township Public Library, Pompton Plains, New Jersey. September 1999. DeForge, Jeanette. "Al's diner serves flavor of the 50s." Springfield Union-News. May 11, 1999. Gutman, Richard J. S. American Diner Then and Now. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Diner Finder Deluxe: Massachusetts. Watertown, MA: Coffee Cup Publications, 1991.
Springfield, West Springfield, Longmeadow, and Chicopee Directory. Springfield: Polk & Lee, 1949. (end) 10. Geographical Data Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the City of Chicopee assessors' map. Boundary Justification The boundary includes the entire parcel that has been historically associated with the diner.
(end) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME : White Diner the Al's Dined MULTIPLE NAME : Diners of Massachusetts MPS STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Hampden DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 11/02/00 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE : OF 45TH DAY: REFERENCE NUMBER: 00001482 12/17/00 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: Y OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: Y NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT RETURN REJECT DATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : RECOM./CRITERIA AUentAé C REVIEWER ratile Andecs TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE Historian DATE 12/14/00 DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N (l's Diner WHOLEGHAMS Tranch MEAT PIE TO TAKE HOME AL'S TO TAKE HOME RESTAURANT ***** Al's Diner 14 Telle Street Diners of Wassacuisetts MPS Ploto: 1998 Nºg: MHC viw sW Al's Diner 14 Yelle Street Diners of massaclusetks MPS Photo: 1998 Neg: MHC view W AVIETEL SONE LNIAO The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission October 25, 2000 Ms.
Carol Shull Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Al's Diner, 14 Yelle Street, Chicopee (Hampden), MA THE DINERS OF MASSACHUSETTS MPS The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Sincerely, Betry Fredlieg Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Mathews Family, Al's Diner Michael S.
Pawlishen Stephen Jendrysik, Chicopee Historical Commission Mayor Richard Kos, City of Chicopee Kathleen Kelly Broomer, Preservation Consultant Kate Brown, Department of Planning & Development 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 - (617) 727-8470 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc Author: "Bergen; Phil @ SEC" <Phil.Bergen@sec.state.ma.us> at np--internet 1/31/01 4:47 PM Normal TO: Patrick Andrus at NP-WASO-NRHESubject: FW: Historic vs. preferred name ent of recent-------------------------- Message Contents Replacem -----Original Message----- From: Bergen, Phil @ SEC Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 4:09 PM Io: patrick.andrus@nps.gov Subject: Historic vs. preferred name Replacement of recently submit ted nomination Patrick, hi. We recently had the White Diner in Chicopee, MA listed [12/14/00 NPS# 000014821.
Although the White Diner is the historic name, is is popularly known as Al's Diner, and we listed that as the preferred name to use. Why would the preferred name be not used? In the future, should we list both names on the "other names" line and indicate which one is preferred? The business is currently named Al's and the owner is perplexed as his business' name will not be the one indicated in the NR. In this case the 1958 diner has been known as Al's since the 1960s. Secondly, we are submitting an amended version of the Rowley Village Forge Site nomination (Boxford, MA) that was ssent to Washington about two weeks we have found a number of typos in it, much to the consultant's consternation, and would like the revised copy to be used. All photos, maps etc. can be kept; it is just the text itself that is being changed. Thanks Phil Bergen e-mail: 617-727-8470 phil.bergen@sec.state.ma.us
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