Modern Diner!

What Is the Modern Diner?

This is the first diner to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

What Makes It Historical?

The diner as we know it originated in Providence, Rhode Island in 1872, as a horse-drawn pie & coffee canteen designed by Walter Scott to sell food to late-night workers! Practically food trucks, they got popular really quick and spread across New England, eventually settling down as stationary diners, but still prefabricated in the style of a railroad diner car. In fact, that’s how we got the term “diner,” thanks to the reimagining of manufacturer, Patrick Tierney! At first, the late-night clientele of diners was all male, but by 1924, the addition of table service, rather than just over-the-counter, brought in the ladies too! Then, in the 1930s, the rise of the booth brought diners to the forefront of family mealtime!

It was during the late 1930s that the Sterling Streamliner came into vogue. Designed by Roland Stickney and built by the John B. Judkins Company, which had formerly made railroad coaches and automobiles, these became the quintessential diners, bow-ended, pin-striped, and sporting two long fins on the roof. Only seventeen were produced before World War II took over Amercan industry, and only two survived to the present, one of which is the Modern Diner, opened in 1941!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Have breakfast at Modern Diner!
Volunteer with the Rhode Island Historical Society!
Donate to the Rhode Island Historical Society!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!