Jan 15, 2009 1:41 pm US/Eastern
Historic NYC Diner Moving To Alabama
NEW YORK (AP) ―
A classic New York City diner has found a buyer who will move it to Alabama, saving it from demolition.
Alabama businessman Joel Owens said he'll move the Cheyenne Diner in two sections by flatbed truck from Manhattan to Birmingham.
Owens, who heads NAIC investment group, will restore the diner and might add a classic car museum and special events center. The work may take up to a year.
"This is a dream come true, especially in a state that has no historic freestanding diners," Owens said in a statement Thursday.
The diner is decorated with Native American motifs, with a stainless steel and glass interior. It was known for its buffalo burgers and grilled chicken dishes. It closed last April.
A nine-story condominium is slated to take its place at 33rd Street and Ninth Avenue.
In its heyday, the now faded 1940s diner attracted the likes of Jerry Lewis and David Letterman. More recently, it has been a favorite of cabbies and cops, the Committee to Save the Cheyenne Diner said.
Cheyenne's former owner had hoped to keep the diner in New York City, but a plan to move it to Brooklyn fell through because the Manhattan Bridge is too narrow for a flatbed. An alternate route, via barge, turned out to be too costly.
Historic preservationist and Committee to Save Cheyenne Diner chairman Michael Perlman brokered the deal, whose terms were not disclosed.
Perlman said there are only about 40 railroad car-style diners left in the tri-state area, and about 70 nationwide.
The diner will be transported in about two to three weeks.
The Cheyenne is not the first diner to be moved from New York City to another state. The Moondance Diner in lower Manhattan now resides in La Barge, Wyo.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths, July-Dec.
Click to enlarge
NYPD: Tests Suggest Powder Scare Not A Threat 17 mins ago 
MIRACLE: Woman Has Risky Surgery During Childbirth 1 hr 14 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments