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 Page 1 OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Capitol Diner Lynn (Essex Co.), MA 7. Description Capitol Diner, 431 Union Street, Lynn (1928, MHC #28) is a fine example of the rail car type of diner in Massachusetts. J. G. Brill Company manufactured the diner through its Massachusetts subsidiary, Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield. The parcel occupied by the Capitol Diner is located adjacent to an elevated section of railroad in the city's downtown business district, approximately six blocks east of City Hall. About one block southeast of the diner is State Route 1A, a secondary automobile corridor linking city and town centers on Boston's North Shore. The diner is placed directly at the sidewalk with its narrow end oriented toward the street. Immediately right (east) of the diner and set back from the sidewalk is a small yard with a noncontributing stockade fence.
Ten bays long and about three bays across, Capitol Diner has a typical monitor-roof streetcar form. The long band of clerestory windows survives, though the windows themselves are covered over. Another streetcar feature is the two entries, here located in the first and last bays of the diner's long elevation. The diner has a high brick foundation with glass block in the windows. The foundation is believed to date to the 1930s. Exterior walls are clad with galvanized steel panels painted red, and the roof is clad with sheet metal. The two entries contain replacement wood glazed doors and are approached by concrete steps. Only the southernmost entry, located adjacent to the sidewalk, is used by the public. The fabric awning at this entry is a removable alteration that does not compromise the diner's historic character. Windows contain fixed wood sash.
Signage reads Capitol Diner in Gothic script on both the wall panels of the long elevation. Projecting from the diner at the rear (northwest) elevation is a one-story brick wing that appears to date to the 1930s, and may be contemporary with the diner's raised brick foundation. This wing includes a kitchen. The diner is not attached to the commercial building immediately to the west (to the left, as viewed from the street), though a narrow space between the diner and the larger building is currently closed in at the street with corrugated metal sheeting. On the interior, Capitol Diner has a full-length grill and food prep area, and a full-length counter with staff entrances at the two ends. The eighteen counter stools are clad in porcelain enamel and have seats upholstered in red vinyl. A brass footrest connects the stools at the bottom.
The countertop incorporates mirrored and clear glass. The steel back bar is a replacement that probably dates to the renovation of the diner following a fire in 1978. This replacement, however, does not detract from the diner's historic character. Two-seat tables line the northeast wall of the diner, beneath the windows. The floor is finished with square tiles that are terracotta in color. Walls and ceiling are clad with replacement white Formica and displays varnished wood trim. The window openings in the monitor ceiling now incorporate vents. Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are currently located on the Capitol Diner property, it is possible that sites are present. Three sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile), some of which were found after Lynn had developed as an urban center.
In general, however, environmental characteristics of the property do not represent locational criteria (slope, drainage, distance to wetlands) that are favorable for most types of prehistoric sites. Given the above information, the small size of the lot (1900 square feet), it's location within the city's business district and potential impacts to the property from the adjacent elevated railroad corridor, the potential for locating significant prehistoric resources on the nominated property is low. (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 Capitol Diner Lynn (Essex Co.), MA The potential for locating significant historic archaeological resources on the nominated property is also low.
Although a lunch wagon reportedly occupied the approximate site of the Capitol Diner in 1898, little information survives indicating the exact location and form of this resource. Little archaeological evidence associated with the lunch wagon may survive. No earlier historic period resources have been identified for the property which predate 1898. Any resources that may have been present were also likely impacted by railroad construction that may have extended onto the nominated property. (end) 8. Statement of Significance Capitol Diner, 431 Union Street, Lynn (1928, MHC #28) is an important example of rail car-inspired diner design in the state. The diner is significant for its associations with Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield, which produced monitor-roof diners for the Philadelphia-based Brill Company from 1927 to 1932.
One of the oldest operating diners remaining in Massachusetts, and the only operating diner in Lynn, the Capitol Diner also is significant for its long-term association with the Fennell family, who acquired the diner in 1938 and continue to operate the business today. Retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, the Capitol Diner meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places at the state and local levels. A lunch wagon reportedly occupied the approximate site of the Capitol Diner as early as 1898. The diner's trapezoidal lot was created in 1913, the result of a project to re-grade the Eastern Division of the Boston & Maine Railroad as it passed through Lynn. City directories show that Ernest A. Goodwin ran his lunch cart operation here in 1928, probably from the existing diner.
Goodwin, a Lynn resident, also had a restaurant at 38 Silsbee Street, about three blocks northeast of this Union Street site. Starting in 1934, Goodwin's business on this Union Street site was described in city directories as "lunch" rather than "lunch cart." This suggests the diner was more permanently positioned by that time, perhaps with its present brick foundation and one-story rear wing. The addition is shown on Lynn's Sanborn fire insurance map for 1938. According to city directories, Raymond Whartons, also a Lynn resident, operated the diner in 1938. By 1939, George E. Fennell of Lynn had acquired the diner. He named it the Capitol Diner, which reflected the diner's location diagonally across Union Street from the Capitol Theatre (demolished). At the time, the Capitol Theatre was an E. M. Loew's movie theater.
The diner's location, close to the theater and in the city's business district, ensured a steady stream of customers. James Fennell, a Lynn resident and perhaps a son or brother of George Fennell, also was associated with the Capitol Diner from 1939 to the mid-1940s, according to city directories. In 1948, George Fennel hired his nephew, Bernard J. (Buddy) Fennell, to work in the Capitol Diner. Buddy Fennell had emigrated from Canada. He took over the operation of the diner about 1957. In the late 1960s, Buddy's son, Robert (Bobby) Fennell joined the business. Bobby Fennell, who was elected to the state's House of Representatives in 1994, continues to man the grill and operates the diner today. (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 Page 2 OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Capitol Diner Lynn (Essex Co.), MA The Capitol Diner was renovated following a fire in 1978, though the exterior appearance and historic plan survive. The Sanborn fire insurance map for 1949 shows a sign-painting establishment operating out of this building in addition to the diner. The sign painting likely occurred in a portion of the brick rear wing. Capitol Diner displays the distinctive monitor roof characteristic of several Massachusetts diners manufactured in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Serving as inspiration for the monitor-roof design were certain parlor, sleeping, and dining car: built for the railroads from ca. 1865 to ca. 1920, and certain models of streetcars manufactured between ca. 1900 and ca 1935.
[Phillips, Carlson & Harding] Production of this type of diner was a logical extension of the business of railroad car and streetcar manufacturers. The dining car division of J. G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania began building monitor-roof diners in 1927. Construction occurred at Brill's subsidiary plants in Springfield, Massachusetts and Cleveland, Ohio. [Gutman, 225] Brill's Springfield division was Wason Manufacturing Company, located in the Brightwood section of the city. Wason built railroad and electric streetcars, as well as automobile bodies, motor boats, and airplanes. [Stone, 490-491] In addition to the character-defining monitor roof, Brill/Wason diners featured doors at either end, another detail borrowed from railroad cars and streetcars. Brill operations in Springfield ceased in 1932, four years after the manufacture of the Capitol Diner.
Comparatively unique at both the state and local levels, the Capitol Diner is one of only two known Brill diners extant in Massachusetts. The other is the former Embassy Diner of Chicopee. The Embassy Diner is incorporated into the structure of the now-defunct Riverboat Restaurant in South Hadley, and has been gutted. [Cultrera] The Capitol Diner also is unique in Lynn as the city's best preserved and longest-operating diner. The former Boston Street Diner, 43 Boston Street (1941, Sterling #4105, MHC #192) has been gutted for retail use. Another diner in Lynn, the White Way Grille, was demolished in 1984. [Gutman interview, MHC inventory form] (end) Capitol Diner Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts County and State Acreage of Property 1,900 square feet UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.
19 340110 4702820 Zone Easting Northing 2. Zone Easting Northing Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justificatior (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet. 3. Zone Easting 4. Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Northing 11. Form Prepared By name/title Kathleen Kelly Broomer, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date_ street & number220 Morrissey Boulevard _telephone July 1999 (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state_Massachusetts _ 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 Capitol Realty Trust street & number 10 County Terrace _telephone_781-595-9314 city or town Lynn state MA _ zip code_01904 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.O. 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 9/10 Page 1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Capitol Diner Lynn (Essex Co.), MA 9. Major Bibliographical References Gutman, Richard J. S.
American Diner Then and Now. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Interview with diner historian Richard Gutman (see also below), November 23, 1998. Interview with diner historian Larry Cultrera (also author of "Diner Hotline," a regular feature in Society of Commercial Archeology's Journal), November 19, 1998. Diner Finder Deluxe: Massachusetts. Watertown, MA: Coffee Cup Publications, 1991. MHC Inventory Form for Capitol Diner, Lynn (recorded by Arthur Krim), March 1993. Killeen, Wendy. "Salad days of an icon: Lynn exhibit recalls the roadside diner." The Boston Sunday Globe, North Weekly section, November 9, 1997, p. Iff. Garbin, Randy. "For the people, by the people, hold the mayo: the Capitol Diner's Bobby Fennell makes a good case for electing more short order cooks to high office." Roadside Magazine, Issue #21, May 1996, pp. 18-19. Lynn directories: 1928-1939, 1950s.
Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1908, 1938 (Volume I), 1938 updated to 1949 (Volume I). Stone, Orra. History of Massachusetts Industries. Vol. I. Boston-Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1930. Carlson, Stephen P. with Thomas W. Harding. From Boston to the Berkshires: A Pictorial Review of Electric Transportation in Massachusetts. Boston: Boston Street Railway Association, Inc., 1990. Phillips, Lance. Yonder Comes the Train. NY: A. S. Barnes and Co., 1965. (end) 10. Geographical Data Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the City of Lynn 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 : Capitol Diner MULTIPLE NAME : Diners of Massachusetts MPS STATE & COUNTY:MASSACHUSETTS, Essex DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 8/09/99 9/09/99 REFERENCE NUMBER: 99001121 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 8/24/99 9/23/99 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: REJECT 9/22/990ATE Iatared in the Mational Register RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N Capitol Diner "sitol Diner - Capitol Diner Capitol Diner 431 union Street Lynn, Essex County, Mass.
view w 1998 Photo: KkBroomer Neg: MHC Capitol Diner 431 Uniou Street Lynn, Essex county, mass. Iuterior view Nw 1998 Photo: KkBroomer Neg: MHC
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