Until Columbia University bought out the business and closed the restaurant down, the West Market Diner was one of the last operating diners in Manhattan that held on to an old American legacy. The Mountain View Diner Company was responsible for all the original, steel, Art Deco diners that Americans associated with the life in the 1950's. For the past 50 years, the West Market Diner served as a prime example of working class, diner culture in Manhattanville.
The top photo is the diner as of last week and the lower photo shows the diner in 2002 when Stephen A. Scheer photographed a then disappearing Manhattanville, a year before Columbia started buying out businesses and closing shops. Located across from the busy Fairway parking lot at 12th Avenue and 131st Street, most newcomers are probably not aware that many of the businesses had been operating up until 2004. Okay, then we get into Eminent Domain abuse, but that's another, much longer post.
One point of light in all of this is that the interior of the diner will be preserved and relocated in one of the new buildings, if and when, all this is over. We found a recent interior photos of a diner upstate manufactured from the Mountain View Diner Company that would look similar to that of the West Market Diner today: LINK. Take the 1 train to 125th Street to see Manhatanville today.
We'd prefer the building to remain intact and restored. Please keep us informed on the situation.
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My grandfather owned this diner before it was the West Market Diner. It was called the Gibb's Diner. It was built in 1921 and may have been the first free standing diner in NYC.I believe he was the original owner. In about 1948, a diner was placed in front of and parallel to the original diner. The original diner became the kitchen. I have read reports that it retains the tile floor and rounded wood ceiling contained in photographs I am separately e-mailing.
ReplyDeleteWas your grandfather Irving Roffman? If so, we are related.
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Wow-just passed by there today and saw the diner's original metal facade. My husband and fatherinlaw owned the West Market Diner until it was sold. It was very sad to see it being taken down but just read that it will be put into one on Columbia's buildings.
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