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 Name of repository: # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 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 1 Page OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Blue Moon Diner Gardner (Worcester Co.), MA 7. Description Blue Moon Diner, 102 Main Street, Gardner, MA (1949) is a very well preserved and late example of the diners built by the widely known Worcester Lunch Car Company. Produced as Worcester Diner #815 and originally known as the Miss Toy Town Diner in Winchendon, MA, the Blue Moon was renamed and moved to its present site in Gardner in 1954. Blue Moon Diner is located in Gardner's central business district, on Main Street (State Route 68) about two blocks south of City Hall. The diner is oriented with its narrow end to the street on a small lot with parking on the south side. Seven bays wide and three bays deep, the Blue Moon is a wood-frame diner that displays the barrel-roof form for which the Worcester company is best known.
The diner rests on a concrete foundation, and has porcelain enamel wall panels that are pale yellow with blue trim. The barrel roof is clad with asphalt shingles. The principal entry, located in the narrow end on the west side fronting the street, has a projecting canopy. Entries contain stainless steel doors with a sunburst motif. Windows have single-hung steel sash and transoms above. Signage includes the exterior wall panels, reading BLUE MOON, a contemporary externally lit rooftop sign, and a noncontributing contemporary standing sign (ca. 1970). Exterior wall panels were installed after the diner was restored in the mid-1980s under the guidance of diner historian and consultant Richard J. S. Gutman. A one-story, wood-frame wing at the rear (eastern end) of the prefabricated diner has a flat roof and is clad with vertical board siding.
Accessible from the interior through an original door at the eastern end of the diner, the addition incorporates table seating on the interior as well as expanded kitchen space and restrooms. Due to the placement of the diner on its lot, the addition is a secondary feature that does not compromise the integrity of the factory-built diner. The restored interior has a full-length marble counter with staff entrances at each end, fourteen steel counter stools upholstered with vinyl, and wooden booths along the front wall. Booths have upholstered seat backs. The tables have cream-colored laminate tops with blue borders and steel edges, and rest on wood legs. The grill and food prep areas are located behind the counter, with expanded kitchen operations in the addition.
The color scheme of the interior tile work is principally blue and cream with black tile and steel accents, as seen at the counter apron, the walls beneath the windows, and tile floor. The barrel ceiling is blue laminate with wood braces. Wood finishes include the finely detailed wood entry surrounds, the narrow end walls, some cabinetry and the range hood in the back bar area, and the window trim. Walls in the back bar area are enameled. Archaeological Description While no ancient Native American sites are located on the diner property or in the general area (within one mile), it is possible that sites are present. The diner is located in an urban setting on level to moderately sloping topography at the foot of Washington Hill. Natural soil types in the area have been obscured or destroyed because of urban development, however, the original soils in the area may have been well drained.
The diner is located well over 1,000 feet from the nearest wetlands, a locational characteristic that reduces the overall ancient Native American site sensitivity of this location. Given the above information, the small size of the nominated area (less than one acre), and construction impacts related to moving the diner to its present location in 1954, a low potential exists for locating significant ancient Native American resources on the diner property. (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 7/8 Page 2/1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Blue Moon Diner Gardner (Worcester Co.), MA A low potential also exists for locating significant historic archaeological resources in the nominated area.
No historic tepucte r laved be conisinuction of the dincr and tis timios om te amal pare (es as on aere) aoiw prenial eidts. for locating historic archaeological resources. (end) 8. Statement of Significance Blue Moon Diner, Gardner (1949), is a fine and late example of the traditional barrel-roofed diner produced by the Worcester Lunch Cart Company, the state's premier diner builder and a major force in the design and construction of Massachusetts diners prior to World War II. As a postwar example of the Worcester company's handcrafted work, Blue Moon Diner illustrates the diner form most closely associated with the history of Massachusetts diners since the 1920s, and was restored in the mid-1980s under the guidance of diner historian and consultant Richard J. S. Gutman. The Blue Moon is locally significant for its long association with Gardner native and diner man Arthur L.
Bernier, who moved the diner to Gardner in 1954 from its original location in Winchendon, MA. The last diner in Gardner, the Blue Moon also is significant for its place in the city's rich history of lunch wagons and diners, dating to the early years of the 20" century. For these reasons, the Blue Moon Diner is of exceptional significance. The diner's relocation to Gardner is typical of the portable nature of diners and has not adversely affected its historic and architectural integrity. The Blue Moon maintains a roadside orientation and setting in its current location. Retaining integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, Blue Moon Diner meets Criteria A and C and Criteria Considerations B and G of the National Register at the local and state levels.
The Blue Moon was originally known as the Miss Toy Town and located on State Route 12 in Winchendon, Massachusetts. The Worcester Lunch Car Company, which assigned the production number 815 to the diner, delivered the building on April 14, 1949. Gardner native Arthur L. Bernier reportedly paid $22,000 for the Miss Toy Town. Bernier also owned the original Blue Moon Diner on the present site in Gardner. Account books of the Worcester Lunch Car Company refer to a maintenance call to the Blue Moon Diner in Gardner as early as August 1928. By the early 1950s, his Gardner diner needing repairs, Arthur Bernier replaced the building with the Miss Toy Town, which he moved from Winchendon. The Gardner operation was renamed Bernier's Diner, and celebrated a grand opening on October 28, 1954.
The diner continued to operate under this name until 1960, when it was closed due to the failing health of Bernier's wife. The building was vacant for several years, and changed hands three times between 1976 and 1983. Recent owner Dennis (Skip) Scipione, a veteran of the Fitchburg Police Department, acquired the diner in 1984, changed the name to Skip's Blue Moon Diner, and restored the building in consultation with diner historian Richard J. S. Gutman. Will Anderson included the Blue Moon in his 1989 book, New England Roadside Delights. In 1993, the diner was seen in the Paramount movie, School Ties. [Diner menu] In 2000 the diner was purchased by its present owner and the historic name Blue Moon Diner was restored.
(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 Page 2/1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Blue Moon Diner Gardner (Worcester Co.), MA Blue Moon Diner is the last diner in Gardner, part of a legacy of mobile lunch carts and stationary diners in the city that dates to 1909. At least five lunch carts operated in Gardner in the mid-1920s alone. Frank M. Burns established three lunch carts/diners in the city, among them Burns Diner (later the Parker Street Diner) on Parker Street (ca. 1909-1970s), the Minute Man Diner in Union Square (1930-1942), and another diner on East Broadway across the street from the South Gardner Hotel (1929-1942). From 1943 to 1958, Billie Viefield operated Billie's Diner, a lunch cart at 240 Main Street.
The present Blue Moon Diner appears to have been one of three diners in the city in 1954, the year the diner was moved from Winchendon and re-opened as Bernier's Diner. [Richard] Architecturally, the Blue Moon Diner is very similar on the exterior to at least two other Worcester County diners manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company: Charlie's Diner, 344 Plantation Street, Worcester (1948), which followed the Blue Moon in production number (#816) but was fully paid for and therefore installed about eight months before the Blue Moon; and the Miss Worcester, 302 Southbridge Street, Worcester (1948) [NR pending 2003], produced as Worcester diner #812. All three diners are seven bays wide, three bays deep, pale yellow with blue trim, and have entries in the narrow ends beneath flat canopies that project beyond the barrel roof of the diner.
The Worcester Lunch Car Company sold its last new diner in 1957, three years after the Blue Moon Diner was moved to its present site in Gardner. (end) 9. Major Bibliographical References Diner Finder Deluxe: Massachusetts. Watertown, MA: Coffee Cup Publications, 1991. Gutman, Richard J. S. American Diner Then and Now. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Interview with diner historian Richard Gutman, November 23, 1998. Menu for Skip's Blue Moon Diner, Gardner, Massachusetts (includes history). Richard, Mike. "Blue Moon Diner: surviving piece of Americana." The Gardner News (June 28, 1986), pp. 1, 3. Worcester Lunch Car Company Record Books, vol. 2, Account book of lunch car construction 1928-1931 (for reference to older Blue Moon Diner); and vol. 9, including file cards with service information ca. 1950s. Worcester Historical Museum.
(end) Blue Moon Diner Name of Property Worcester, Massachusetts County and State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property less than one acre UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.19 254220 4717660 Zone Easting Northing 2. Zone Northing EastingR Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 3. 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 30, 2003 street & number_220 Morrissey Boulevard telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state _ MA _ zip code_ 02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps 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 Jamie Brouillet c/o Jamie Floyd street & number P.O. Box 914 .telephone 978-632-4333 Northing Northing city or town Gardner _ stateMA _ zip code.
01440 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate Denert in aociedance wit the National Historiprieser liton Act, ai amended (16 U S.C, 47 istisgs, Response to this request is required to obtain a 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 10 Page 1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Blue Moon Diner Gardner (Worcester Co.), MA 10. Geographical Data Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the City of Gardner assessors' map Boundary Justification The boundary includes the entire parcel that is historically associated with the diner since its placement on the site in 1954.
(end) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Miss Toy Town Diner MULTIPLE NAME: Diners of Massachusetts MPS STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Worcester DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 10/20/03 12/05/03 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 11/19/03 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 12/04/03 REFERENCE NUMBER: 03001242 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL:/N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER :/ PDIL: PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : N N N Entered in the National Register RECOM. /CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DOCUMENTATION - DISCIPLINE DATE attached comments Y/N attached SLR Y/N Blue Mccn DINER BOOTH CERVICE Blue Moon DINER Diners of mass.
MPS skip's Blue moon Diner 102 main street Gardner, worcestr County, mass. KK Broomer Neg: MHC september 2001 Photo 1of 2 XIV la-8A Divers of mass. MPS Skip's Blue Wson Diner 102 main Street Gardner, worcester county, mass. Kk Broomer Neg: mHC september 2001 photo 20f 2 XIV. /7-7A RECEIVED 2280 OCT 2 0 2003 NAT. REGISTER OF HIST NATIONAL PARK SERVICI ICPLACES The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth October 14, 2003 Massachusetts Historical Commission Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service 1201 Eye Street, NW, 8t* floor Washington, DC 20005 Dear Ms.
Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Blue Moon Diner, 102 Main Street, Gardner (Worcester), 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, Rety tuedterg Betsy Friedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission Enclosure CC: Kathleen Kelly Broomer, consultant Peter Sargent, Gardner Historical Commission Jamie Brouillet Robert Hubbard, Planning and Economic Development Daniel Kelley, Mayor, City of Gardner 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
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