The Road Island Diner is a rare classic Streamline Moderne 60' x 16'

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

diner car restaurant located in the remote mountain city of

Oakley, Utah Oakley is a city in Summit County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,470 at the 2010 census. Geography Oakley is located east of Salt Lake City on SR-32, in the Kam ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was prefabricated as diner # 1107 in 1939 at the Elizabeth, New Jersey, factory of the

Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was a manufacturer of roadside diners from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm. Prefabricated ...

. After construction, it was displayed on exhibition at the

1939 World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purcha ...

in New York. After the Fair, It was sold to Al McDermott who had it towed it to

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, where it operated for 14 years. In 1953, it was sold to Greek immigrant Tommy Borodemos, who had it transported down the turnpike to Middletown, Rhode Island, where it operated for 4 generations as Tommy's Deluxe Diner. It closed in May 2006 and was purchased in 2007 by Utah businessman, Keith Walker, who transported it to

. After a year of restoration, it was opened in July 2008. It is said to be the only pre-war,

Art-deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...

streamline (constructed to mimic a rail dining car) diner west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. Claimed to have been the "Cadillac" of diner companies because of its steel frame construction, The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, whose motto was "In our line, We lead the world" was said to have produced 2,000 diners from 1917 to 1941 with only four pre-war Art-Deco streamline style diners to still be in operation. The smaller 50' x 10' Mickey's Diner serial # 1067 in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, which is the first diner to be listed 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 ...

, the 40' x 16' Collin's Diner serial # 1103 in North Canaan, Ct. and the 1938

Summit Diner Summit Diner is a diner built in the late thirties located in Summit, New Jersey. The business opened in 1929. The original building was replaced with the current building constructed by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in 1938. Food writer, Peter ...

in Summit, N.J. The Road Island Diner (O'Mahony Dining Car #1107) was added to the

by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

on August 21, 2009.

References

Cramer, Alexander (July 7 2021). Oakley's Road Island Diner closes. ''Park Record.'' Retrieved 8/2/2022. https://www.parkrecord.com/news/summit-county/oakleys-road-island-diner-closes/

External links

Road Island Diner
{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Summit County, Utah Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah Diners on the National Register of Historic Places Diners in the United States Streamline Moderne architecture in Utah Tourist attractions in Summit County, Utah National Register of Historic Places in Summit County, Utah

See also

References

External links