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Perlman to the rescue: Preservationist works to save forlorn 1940s Greenwich Village diner
Photo credit: Urbanite
This diner at 357 West St. was manufactured by the famed Kullman Diner company, possibly in the late 1940s. (Photo by Tiffany L. Clark). More photos [HERE]
It was once called the Lost Diner, and now, the name truly fits.
The 1940s chrome diner in Greenwich Village sits abandoned, its glass door broken and its interior filled with trash.
But what is lost may have been found again. Preservationist Michael Perlman, who has already rescued the Cheyenne and Moondance diners in Manhattan from sure obliteration, tells Urbanite that he has submitted a proposal to owner Peter Moore Associates to preserve the diner and bring it back to its former glory. In fact, the Moondance is set to reopen next month in Wyoming.
The eatery, at 357 West St., has been known over the years as Terminal Diner and Lunchbox Food, and was most recently Rib, a North Carolina-style barbeque joint.
But that establishment closed in 2006, and the building has since fallen into disrepair. Perlman says he and Peter Moore Associates, which bought the property in 2006, will further discuss his proposal in October. He says that it would be more affordable to renovate the space than to demolish it. The owner could not be reached for comment.
Perlman said a metal tag bearing the name of the famous Kullman Diner manufacturer still hangs above the door. It’s details like that that Perlman wants to preserve as much as possible.
"Diners are becoming an endangered species, especially in the tri-state area,” Perlman said. “They definitely don't manufacture them like they used to. And diners are the ultimate public institution; they were places where people from various classes would mingle side by side."
-- Megan Stride
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