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 MA 7 Page 1 OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Miss Florence Diner Northampton (Florence), Hampshire Co., 7. Description Miss Florence Diner (1941, MHC #111), located at 99 Main Street in the Northampton village of Florence, is an excellent illustration of the remodeling of a barrel-roofed diner. Worcester Lunch Car Company manufactured the original diner in 1941, and completed the remodeling in the late 1940s. [Alexander interview] The Miss Florence is situated on State Route 9 at the center of the historic business district in Florence. Surrounding development is a mix of commercial and residential uses. The diner is placed at the sidewalk and has a paved parking lot to the northeast. The prefabricated diner, as enlarged in the late 1940s. is attached at the rear to the front of a late 19th. century dwelling.
This two-story dwelling, itself enlarged and remodeled, houses Alexander's Tap Room and Restaurant. Originally, the barrel-roofed Miss Florence Diner was rectangular in massing, approximately seven bays across at the street (south) elevation and about three bays deep. According to Sanborn fire insurance maps, the diner originally had a one-story wood-frame rear addition and was not attached to the residential building directly behind. Entries likely were located in the short end walls; the wall at the west end of the interior retains a glazed wood door. Expansion in the late 1940s added one bay to the west (left) end of the prefabricated diner, four bays to the east (right) end, and two principal bays to the rear (northeast corner). This remodeling resulted in the present eleven-bay façade, the cross-barrel roof, and the L-shaped configuration of the interior.
The barrel-roofed, brick veneer entry vestibule at the front of the diner is a 1950s addition. While a projecting enclosed entry was common to diners constructed in the 1950s, the barrel-roofed treatment of the entry at the remodeled Miss Florence is unusual. The diner was later joined to the residential building directly behind. For the purpose of this nomination, the former residential building, though present during the period of significance for the diner, is a noncontributing building due to modifications made after the period of significance. The diner has a concrete foundation, asphalt shingles on the barrel roof and entry vestibule, and porcelain enamel panels in yellow and red. Glass block windows at both front corners mark the extension of the facade in the late 1940s. At the western end of the diner is an enclosed entry.
The other entry that dates to the remodeling is located in the eighth bay, inside the barrel-roofed projecting vestibule. Both entries contain steel and glass doors. Windows contain single-hung wood sash with orange-colored leaded glass in the transoms. Another unusual architectural feature of the Miss Florence is the late 1940s rooftop parapet wall over the south (façade) and east elevations. This wall displays moderne-style lettering bearing the name of the diner. Similarly styled lettering executed in neon appears in the large chevron sign (late 1940s) mounted on the roof over the diner's southeast corner. The sign has two faces, fronting the easterly and westerly approaches to the diner from Main Street (Route 9). Other signage for the diner appears on the porcelain enamel wall panels on the façade.
At the sidewalk is a neon standing sign (1960s) advertising Alexander's Restaurant behind the diner. Both the rooftop sign and the standing sign were designed and built by George Agnoli of Agnoli Sign Company in Springfield. For the purpose of this nomination, the standing sign, due to its later date of construction, is a noncontributing object. Inside, the Miss Florence has a barrel ceiling and an L-shaped seating area that connects at the northeast end to restrooms as well as the restaurant tap room behind the diner. Interior finishes are predominantly wood, porcelain enamel, and tile, (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 MA Page 2/1 OMB No.
1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Miss Florence Diner Northampton (Florence), Hampshire Co., executed in a color scheme of tan, orange, brown, and black. Seating includes nineteen steel counter stools with red accents, and booths with Formica tables along the south (façade) and east walls. Behind the marble counter, the back bar retains wood cabinetry, a wood-clad hood over the grill and food preparation areas, and porcelain enamel wall panels. Porcelain enamel panels also appear on the walls below the windows, and on the counter apron. Both the counter footrest and the floor are tiled in tan, black, and brown; the original floor has a checkerboard pattern with a border. Interior modifications from the late 1940s are most apparent near the diner's current main entrance.
Here, slight changes in the pattern of the floor tiles and the appearance of the counter and counter stools reveal where the counter was extended and the easternmost bays of the current diner were added. Archaeological Description No prehistoric sites are known on the property or in the general area (within one mile). In general, environmental characteristics of the property, especially its location on a level to moderately sloping plain over 1000 feet from wetland resources, are not locationally favorable for most types of prehistoric sites. Given the above information, a low potential exists for the recovery of prehistoric resources on the property. There is also a low potential for the recovery of historic archaeological resources on the Miss Florence Diner property. Archaeological evidence may exist from a wood-frame rear addition, no longer extant, that probably dated to the 1940's.
Evidence from that addition would, however, have limited research value. No archaeological resources are known in the area related to the late 19th century residence attached to the rear of the diner. 8. Statement of Significance Miss Florence Diner is a fine and comparatively late example of the traditional barrel-roofed diner produced by Worcester Lunch Car Company, the state's premier diner builder and a major force in the design and construction of Massachusetts diners prior to World War II. The Worcester company not only built the original 1941 diner, but executed the remodeling of the Miss Florence in the late 1940s. Consequently, the Miss Florence is significant as a well preserved illustration of the company's remodeling jobs after World War II.
Locally, the Miss Florence also is significant for its associations with the Alexander family of Florence, who have owned and operated the diner for more than fifty years. Miss Florence Diner retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The Miss Florence Diner meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places at the state and local levels. Maurice Alexander and his wife, Pauline Florence (Matusewicz) Alexander, opened the Miss Florence Diner in 1941. Originally, the diner occupied a Worcester lunch car located across Main Street from the current diner. In the same year, the first diner was sold and the business moved into a new Worcester diner at 99 Main Street. The Alexanders resided at the same address, in the house directly behind the diner.
Maurice Alexander had Worcester Lunch Car Company remodel the diner in the late 1940s, resulting in the current L-shaped configuration. About 1959, he opened Alexander's Tap Room and Restaurant in the house, which was joined to the back of the Miss Florence Diner. The restaurant operates in the first floor of the former house and there is a banquet hall on the second floor. Maurice Alexander went on (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 MA Page 2 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Miss Florence Diner Northampton (Florence), Hampshire Co., to own other restaurant enterprises in Northampton, among them Ed's Diner (no longer extant) on Pleasant Street.
Today, brothers Tom Alexander and Maurice Alexander, Jr., sons of the original proprietors, operate the Miss Florence Diner and Alexander's Tap Room and Restaurant. [Alexander interview; Northampton directories] In the 1940s the village of Florence hosted a range of retail and other business uses, among them two markets, meeting halls, a variety store, three banks, a furniture store, a service station, a sporting goods store, and a druggist. At the time the Miss Florence opened, the Northampton directory listed thirty-one restaurants in the city, three of which were located in Florence. Only two restaurants in the city at that time had "diner" in their names: Ed's Diner (no longer extant) on Pleasant Street, and Jim's Diner, 6 Strong Avenue (now Kathy's Diner, ca. 1930, MHC #2063).
The Miss Florence is one of about sixteen diners in Massachusetts built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company in the 1940s, and is particularly notable for its remodeling by the Worcester company later in the same decade. The company was known for its well built, handcrafted diner, and most frequently produced the traditional barrel-roof form with porcelain enamel exterior walls and a wood-trimmed interior. The late 1940s cross-barrel roof, rooftop parapet, and L- shaped seating area distinguish the Florence diner, however, from other barrel-roof Worcesters. After World War II, the barrel-roof diner design could not compete with the stainless steel diners then available from several out-of-state manufacturers. Besides their more modern appearance, the stainless steel diners had an advantage in that they could be manufactured and shipped in sections.
Worcester Lunch Car Company sold its last new diner in 1957, and closed in 1961. [Gutman, 161, 243] Miss Florence Diner is the only diner in Florence and one of four prefabricated diners identified in the city of Northampton. Worcester Lunch Car Company manufactured two of the diners in addition to the Miss Florence. Located in the downtown business district is Kathy's Diner, 6 Strong Avenue (ca. 1930, MHC #2063, formerly Mac's Diner, later Jim's Diner, the Miss Northampton, then the Red Lion Diner). Kathy's Diner, a rail car-inspired diner with a monitor roof, reportedly is the oldest functioning diner in the Connecticut River Valley. Also in the downtown business district is a former diner, considerably altered, at the rear of 11-21 State Street (ca. 1930, MHC #766).
On State Routes 5 and 10 north of the downtown area is the Bluebonnet Diner, 324 King Street (1950, Worcester #825, MHC #271), a barrel- roofed diner with modified interior that is attached to a larger restaurant. The Bluebonnet is one of about one-half dozen Worcester diners in the state that were manufactured in the 1950s. [Diner Finder and Northampton historic properties inventory] (end) Miss Florence Diner Name of Property 10. Geographical Data Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts County and State Acreage of Property less than one-half acre UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.18 691820 4689430 Zone Easting Northing 2.
Zone Easting Northing 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.) 11. Form Prepared By 3. Zone Easting 4. Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet Northing Northing name/title organization Kathleen Kelly Broomer, consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard _date July, 1999 _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 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 Maurice & Pauline Alexander street & number 99 Main Street telephone_ 413-584-3137 city or town Florence state MA zip code 01062 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate oroperties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain enefit 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 o 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 MA 9/10 Page 1 OMB No. 1024-0018 The Diners of Massachusetts MPS Miss Florence Diner Northampton (Florence), Hampshire Co., 9.
Major Bibliographical References Interview with Tom Alexander, co-owner, Miss Florence Diner. January 20, 1999. Gutman, Richard J. S. American Diner Then and Now. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. MHC Inventory Forms for Miss Florence Diner (#111), Bluebonnet Diner (#271), former diner at 11-21 State Street (#766), and Miss Northampton/Kathy's Diner (#2063), Northampton (recorded by C. Dubie), May and June 1976. Diner Finder Deluxe: Massachusetts. Watertown, MA: Coffee Cup Publications, 1991. Northampton-Easthampton Directory. Springfield: The Price & Lee Company. 1930, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1947. Sanborn fire insurance maps for Northampton: 1902, 1910, 1915, 1930, 1930 corrected to 1947, and 1930 corrected to 1965. Burns, Ramona. "The Miss Florence Diner." unpublished manuscript prepared for local history class at Smith College (copy at Forbes Library, Northampton).
December 7, 1995. Larmon, Marcy. "Miss Flo treats friends on birthday." Daily Hampshire Gazette (October 17, 1981), p. 1 ff. "Cityside: Happy birthday, Miss Flo." Daily Hampshire Gazette (October 24, 1981), p.3. (end) 10. Geographical Data Verbal Boundary Description The boundary of the nominated property is shown on the accompanying detail of the City of Northampton assessors' 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 : Miss Florence Diner MULTIPLE NAME: Diners of Massachusetts MPS STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Hampshire DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 8/09/99 9/09/99 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: REFERENCE NUMBER: 99001123 8/24/99 9/23/99 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: VACCEPT N RETURN 4/22/99 ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : Intered in the Mational Registeg RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE - DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N Miss 11SS SUCE Alerundaris RESTAMRAIT Codtta PARK GOOTH SERVICE ALEXAI RESTA ALEXA miss Plorence Diner 99 main struet, Florence Northampton, Hampshire County, Mass.
VileU NW 1998 Photo: KkBvoomer Neg: MHC miss Florence Diner 99 main Street, Florence Northampton, Hampshire county, mass. Interior vieww 1998 Photo: KxBroomer Neg: MHC
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