Friday, April 5, 2013
A historic diner, which many wanted to move and preserve, got no help from Town Hall in more than 16 months of trying.
It looks like Mayor John McCormac has gotten his wish. Mom's Diner, the classic 1950s diner on Route 1 in Avenel, is about to fall to the wrecking ball. The diner and the neighboring Gem Motel are both being bulldozed to make way for a 4,1888 sq. ft. Wawa convenience store and gas station with six islands. On Thursday, most of the Gem Motel was gone, while the improvements added over the decades to Mom's Diner revealed the original details of the stainless steel structure. Over the entrance was a clock, long hidden by the facade added to the roofline in an effort to modernize the exterior. The clock hands were frozen just short of 3:00. When the mayor first announced the Wawa incursion into Woodbridge back in November, 2011, there were …
Monday, December 17, 2012
The classic 1950s diner in the Avenel section of Woodbridge may be on the verge of oblivion.
It's been a year since the news that Mom's Diner, a classic 1950s style diner, was going to be demolished to make room for a convenience store and gas station. Despite dozens of inquiries made to save the diner from the wrecking ball, it looks like it may be too late. A temporary fence was erected last week around the stainless steel structure, located on Route 1 in Avenel, and it looks like construction workers have begun disassembling the diner. The distinctive "Mom's Diner" sign was already gone. Potential purchasers of the diner, which sits next to the now-shuttered Gem Motel, have shown a keen interest in the diner for its historic value. Some would-be buyers have made calls from as far away as Massachusetts, hoping to move the …
Friday, October 19, 2012
Despite people who want to move a classic 1940s diner, part of New Jersey's history, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac wants to bulldoze it.
It was a big moment in Woodbridge a week ago when the convenience store Wawa chain returned to the township since the late 1990s. They opened a convenience store and gas station in the Fords section of Woodbridge on October 12, and Mayor John McCormac helped make it all happen through the town's Redevelopment Agency. But the Wawa effort was to be only the first in Woodbridge. When Wawa announced earlier this year during the groundbreaking for the Fords store that they also intended on opening another outlet - also with a gas station - in Avenel, that entailed knocking down an old motel and diner. Mom's Diner in Avenel is a classic 1940s glittering steel diner that was in excellent, unchanged condition. It was on the market for $20,000, …
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The plight of the classic 1950s diner in the Avenel section of Woodbridge - which will be demolished if a new owner isn't found - has stirred some interest.
Mom's Diner might have found a new lease on life. Several readers of the original Patch article have expressed interest in purchasing the classic 1950s diner, located on Route 1 in Avenel next to the Gem Motel. Both properties are slated for demolition to make way for a gas station and a convenience store as part of the township's plan to revitalize the Route 1 corridor. Art Sommers, an antique buff, is interested in investigating purchasing the diner and moving it to his Wall Township property. "I'm looking for an old diner that I can add to a private museum," Sommers said. He is a big fan of antique cars and Civil War artifacts, and he was searching for a diner to add to his private collection. His private museum is used by organizations…
40.581067
-74.284048
Gem Motel Northbound
930 U.S. 1, Avenel, NJ
Mom's Diner is located next to the Gem Motel.
/articles/is-there-a-buyer-for-mom-s-diner
1853000
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Mom's Diner in the Avenel section of Woodbridge may be an all-original 1950s diner in superb condition, but if it isn't moved quickly, it'll be demolished to make room for a convenience store and gas station.
If you grew up in New Jersey, you know diners. It's part of the Garden State's landscape as much as the Turnpike, the shore, and Bruce Springsteen. You'd think with so much diner history located right here, that there'd be more of an effort to preserve the old fashioned stainless steel diners that still exist. According to Daniel Zilka, there are such efforts. The thing is, many of them come from overseas. "Europeans love old American diners," said Zilka, who quickly listed a spate of diners that were lifted off their foundations, packed up in plastic wrap ("It's great for keeping a diner together for shipment"), and shipped across the Atlantic. Zilka runs the American Diner Museum based in Rhode Island, which is dedicated to the …
40.57657
-74.28804
Us Highway 1 & W Smith St, Avenel, NJ
Mom's Diner
/articles/for-sale-a-classic-1950s-diner-looking-for-new-home
/locations/5999390
Tom Maras
10:31 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
An icon has come down, but its departure has given rise to a lot of local history. Some of the posts have been both informative and interesting. Thanks to all for sharing. more ›