The Miss Florence Diner is a historic

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

at 99 Main Street in the

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

section of

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. It was manufactured in 1941 by the

Worcester Lunch Car Company Worcester Lunch Car Company was a manufacturer of diners based in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1906 to 1957. History In 1906 Philip H. Duprey and Grenville Stoddard established the Worcester Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company, whic ...

and is one of four diners in the city. At the time of its listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1999, it had been owned by the same family since its construction.

Description and history

The Miss Florence Diner is located in the center of the village of Florence, about west of downtown Northampton. It sits on the north side of Main Street, just east of its junction with Maple Street. It has an L-shaped configuration, with barreled roofs in both directions, topped by a parapet on which the name of the diner appears in Moderne lettering. Mounted at the corner of the L is a distinctive chevron-shaped sign that bears its name. The exterior is finished mainly in enamel paneling, and the interior is finished in wood, tile, and enamel. The main entrance is now via a brick vestibule, which has a barrel-style shingled roof that extends over the side-facing steps. The diner is attached at the rear to a house that has been converted into a restaurant. The Miss Florence was opened in 1941 by Maurice Alexander and his wife, Pauline Florence (Matusewicz) Alexander. Originally located across the street in a different diner, it moved into what is now the core of the present structure later that year. That diner was manufactured by the

, which also executed the enlargements to give it the L shape in 1949. These alterations included adding another bay on the left, and four (in a configuration perpendicular to the main diner body) on the right. The Alexanders lived in the house behind the diner, which they converted into a separate restaurant in 1959, joining the two together.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Diners on the National Register of Historic Places Restaurants on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Diners in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Northampton, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Hampshire County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Hampshire County, Massachusetts 1941 establishments in Massachusetts Restaurants established in 1941

Description and history

See also

References