The Rosebud
| The Rosebud | |||
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| National Register of Historic Places | |||
 The Rosebud Diner in 2013 |
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| location | Somerville , Massachusetts , United States | ||
| Coordinates | 42 ° 23 '40 " N , 71 ° 7' 14.9" W | ||
| Built | 1941 | ||
| architect | Worcester Lunchcar Company | ||
| Architectural style | Semi-Streamliner Diner | ||
| NRHP number | 99001125 | ||
| The NRHP added | September 22, 1999 | ||
The Rosebud is a 1941-built Diner in Somerville in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . It is a type of "semi-streamliner diner" and was entered on September 22, 1999 as part of the Multiple Property Submission Diners of Massachusetts MPS in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
description
The Rosebud was built in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as a so-called "semi-streamliner", which partially combined the manufacturer's traditional elements - in particular the monitor roof and the style of the interior - with the more modern look of the streamliner. It is in the western part of Somerville in an industrial park.
Rosebud is outwardly initially as "Rail Car Diner" because it almost the look of a railroad car ( english car rail has); in fact, however, the rounded corners define the typical shape of the semi-streamliner. The diner consists of a steel frame that rests on a brick foundation and is clad with black enameled sheet metal. The entrances to the restaurant are on the two narrow sides. Between the windows and the rounded edges support fluted steel post, which consists of metal roof. The clerestory windows partially have colored glass that has to be seen only from the inside; Fans were installed in some window openings. At the rear, the diner is connected to a one-story building that was built in the 1930s. The Rosebud also has a second, much larger and also one-story extension with a flat roof , which takes up the rest of the property and was built from concrete in the 1960s.
Inside, the Worcester Lunch Car Company style dominates with a combination of wood and tile surfaces. The counter extends the entire length and has 16 bar stools. There are also six table niches with additional seats along the front. The floor is covered with a complex geometric pattern of blue, light blue and yellow tiles.
In the early 1990s, the diner was extensively restored as part of a four-year project, with recent modifications being reversed. In particular, the upper storey windows were exposed again, the enamel cladding repaired and the signage renewed. The annex was also renovated to create space for a further 250 seats.
Historical meaning
The Rosebud is one of the very few semi-streamliner dinners left in Massachusetts and the only one of its type in Somerville. The first owner was Charles Peveloris, who named it in 1941 after the sled in Citizen Kane , which hit theaters that same year. The diner replaced a hamburger restaurant called Jaunty Jack's, which was previously housed in the annex where the kitchen is now. The Rosebud was one of eight diners and a total of 125 restaurants in town when it opened.
In 1958 Peveloris sold the diner to Evangelos "Galley" Nichols, who initially continued it as a bar only and did not reopen the kitchen until 1964. He also opened the “Surrey Room” nightclub at the back of the Rosebud, which initially played jazz and later disco music. Later on, Nichols rented the property to a tenant who ran a Mexican restaurant there. In 1991, Nichols took back the property and began a major renovation, which was accompanied by diner expert Daniel Zilka. In 1995 the diner was able to reopen.
The Rosebud is one of only seven semi-streamliners in existence today and is therefore a rare example of this type of diner, which the Worcester Lunch Car Company developed as a conservative alternative to the Streamliner, which was produced by JB Judkins and other manufacturers from 1939 and was increasingly gaining market share . However, the best preserved specimen in Massachusetts is the Owl Diner in Lowell . Three other semi-streamliners - originally used in Massachusetts - are now in other states: The Hudson Diner in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn (Michigan) , the Peerless Diner in Florida and the Ross Diner in Queechee ( Vermont ).
See also
literature
- Kathleen Kelly Broomer, Betsy Friedberg: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. (PDF) National Park Service , July 1999, accessed on August 10, 2016 (English, accessible via the "NR" button).
- Richard Gutman: American diner then and now . Harper Perennial, New York 1993, ISBN 978-0-06-096956-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ↑ a b c cf. Broomer / Friedberg, p. 5.
- ↑ a b cf. Broomer / Friedberg, p. 6.
- ↑ a b cf. Broomer / Friedberg, p. 7.