An LA Bucket Lister Won't Kick the Bucket, But ... | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
Yes, Dinah's building will stay, but will Dinah the restaurant stick around? Plus, Pizza Hut Classic list grows; the spirit of 76 antenna toppers; an old DQ demolished
Dinah’s Family Restaurant: Uncertain future for this Los Angeles bucket lister
A year ago, I paid a quick visit to the legendary Dinah’s Family Restaurant, a Los Angeles Googie masterpiece from 1959. That bucket, though it’s been replaced over the years, rose into the air before KFC’s first bucket was placed on a pole in 1961, the owners contend.
Interestingly, when this restaurant opened, it was called “Dinah’s Original Pancake & Chicken House,” and the chicken they sold was Col. Harland Sanders’ recipe, at least according to old ads from 1959! Early articles made a bigger deal about the pancakes than the chicken!
Even if you’ve never been here, you’ve probably seen a Dinah’s takeout bucket in the movie “Little Miss Sunshine.” To wit, this epic scene with the incomparable Alan Arkin:
Today, the future of Dinah’s is up in the air. We’ve known for a while that a new housing development here will raze Dinah’s neighbors on Sepulveda Boulevard, but a deal was reached to preserve the restaurant itself.
Whew!
That’s certainly good news, but here comes the dropping of the other shoe. The LA Conservancy on its Instagram page today posted an update, saying the plans for the project have received the support of the City Council. Dinah’s, however, will have to close during construction, and there’s no guarantee it will return to its original home.
The Conservancy is also calling on the developer to “designate the Dinah's building as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) to ensure it has long-term protections.”
The group, however, had praise for the way the plan rescues the restaurant itself:
We need more projects like this that successfully integrate old and new, and demonstrate that this is possible, rather than demolition.
That’s absolutely true, but it’s hard not to worry about Dinah’s fate.
Have you ever been?
Makin’ It Great! Retrologist’s Pizza Hut Classic list expands!
It’s been only one day since I shared my list of Pizza Hut Classic locations, and the response has been amazing! Thank you to all who subscribed to my newsletter. And I’m so grateful to those who became paid subscribers! I’m so happy you’re all here, and please spread the word about the Retrologist newsletter. Let your friends know! If you like nostalgia travel and want help designing your own fun trips — or just want to be informed and entertained — you’re in the right place!
I wanted to let you know that the list has been growing, as I’ve received a number of tips about additional Pizza Hut Classic locations, and I’ve added them to my every-burgeoning article! As I get new leads on Classic locations, I’ll be sure to incorporate them!
Spirited sighting: 76 antenna topper in NYC!
The glory days of the antenna topper are behind us. We can blame technology, with the demise of traditional car antennas. Back in the 1990s, however, during my starry-eyed early visits to Los Angeles, I loved seeing the 76 balls everywhere — spinning over gas stations and stuck on antennas. And don’t get me started on Jack in the Box antenna toppers. I had a pretty good collection going of those, too.
So I was pleased, while on a lunchtime stroll today in Queens, New York, to find an old 76 ball on a car’s antenna! It was clear that the owner really wanted it there, as they would have had to scoop out a bigger hole in the topper to affix it onto this stubby antenna!
My car, alas, has a stub of an antenna that can hold no toppers, but I’ve thought about investigating to see if there’s some after-market attachment I could buy to remedy that. I’d love to get my old collection of those spherical souvenirs back into service again!
Notes From the Road
A shuttered vintage Dairy Queen in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been demolished. It was last opened in 2018. [WANE]
The Philadelphia region’s former Trolley Car Diner is still stuck. [Chestnut Hill Local]
Historic theater in Benton Harbor, Michigan, closed since 2007, will be restored. [ABC57]
The Home Dairy building on the Ithaca Commons gets historic designation. [Ithaca Voice]
Marelli’s Market in Hampton, New Hampshire is closing after over a century. [Seacoast Online, subscription required] [An exhibit about Marelli’s]
There are hopes to restore the epic Chrysler Plymouth sign off Route 66 in Bristow, Oklahoma. What’s needed? To start, $250,000. [News On 6]
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