The best ice cream stands in America; good news for Chicago signs (especially one beer sign); a devilish deed in New Jersey; NYC bowling alley faces gutter; and much more | Rolando's Roadside Roundup
Dozens of headlines and pictures from the great American roadside in my latest jam-packed newsletter. Dig in!
Let’s start with some good news! Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council floor leader Carlos Ramirez-Rosa are pushing legislation to protect the Windy City’s historic signs, according to the Sun-Times.
Writes reporter Fran Spielman:
The ordinance includes a framework that would allow commercial signs that are “at least 30 years old” and have “proven to represent a degree of character and nostalgia” to remain “indefinitely,” subject to city review and a five-year, renewable permit.
Currently, anyone who buys a property with a historic sign must take it down if the prior owner allowed the sign permit to expire.
That threatens to deprive Chicago of some of its character and history, much like tearing down a landmark building.
When there’s so much bad news on the roadside Americana beat, it’s nice to see an encouraging headline.
Broadway Restaurant, a greasy-spoon holdout in a city that once teemed with them, closes
There aren’t a lot of places in and around the Manhattan neighborhood of Morningside Heights that are left over from my years at Columbia University, between 1991 and 1995. There is, of course, Tom’s Restaurant, made famous first by the Suzanne Vega song “Tom’s Diner,” and later by its standing in for Monk’s Cafe on “Seinfeld.”
But long gone are less-heralded spots like the College Inn, Grandma’s, the Amsterdam Cafe (AmCaf), and the Royal Canadian Pancake House and its immense pancakes and truth-bombing slogan “Pancakes make people happy.”
The list goes on and on.
One of those old-school survivors was the Broadway Restaurant, at 2664 Broadway. But one of the toasts of my Broadway is now toast. The greasy spoon closed earlier this month.
A sign posted outside read:
After 43 years of being a part of the Upper West Side community, the time has come for us to say… Goodbye. To our staff and patrons, who have now become our friends and family, it has been a privilege and a pleasure sharing all these years with you. Thank you for the memories. We will miss you all.
Precisely what caused the closure is unclear, but little imagination is required to figure it out. And that’s sad, because Broadway Restaurant had survived COVID, a fire and, until now, the harsh realities of making a business work in New York.
‘Guttering’ news: Owner of historic Queens bowling alley wants to raze the structure, build high-rise housing
This is news I’ve been expecting since I first laid eyes on Whitestone Lanes almost a decade ago. This wonderful 1960s bowling alley in Queens is slated for demolition.
High-rise housing, of course, is more profitable, and that’s what the owner wants to build there. Hard to stand in the way of the owner, especially if there is no landmark protection for this structure.
Admire, if you will, this gorgeous facade — I can only hope that elements of it will be saved.
“The bowling alley has reached the end of its useful lifespan,” the application to rezone the property reads, according to a report in QNS.
Macaluso’s family was inspired to open their own bowling alley due to the deep love they had for the sport. For around 50 years, Whitestone Lanes, located at 3005 Whitestone Expwy., has been a go-to location for bowling enthusiasts or people just looking for a fun time.
Sigh …
Ban on tall pole signs — meant to ‘beautify’ Kokomo, Indiana — endangers this vintage neon beauty
Kokomo, Indiana, is cracking down on tall pole signs on Indiana 931, imposing hefty fines on businesses that keep them up. Some 19 are already gone, but one property owner is fighting back, saying the historic (and utterly gorgeous) Hi-Mark Restaurant sign is protected under a 2016 exception in the ordinance, which after delays went into effect on Jan. 1.
It’s these kinds of benighted municipal directives that contribute to the depressing “blandification” of the American roadside. The city wants to remove “clutter” and “beautify” the roads, but businesses are losing valuable promotional real estate — and likely dollars — and in the case of the Hi-Mark, a beloved local treasure could be senselessly taken down.
According to the Kokomo Tribune:
Once word of the possibility of the Hi-Mark’s sign removal got out, a public campaign, spearheaded by Melissa Smith, to prevent that began.
Smith, the Hi-Mark’s DJ, has posted numerous times on her personal Facebook and various local Facebook group pages to drum up support, using the hashtags #teamhimark and #savethesign.
Smith said he wants to save the Hi-Mark because she sees it as a “landmark” of Kokomo and doesn’t want to see it go the way of another city landmark — the gas tower.
“I can remember as a child, when we were coming back from vacation, and you knew you were in Kokomo when you saw the gas tower and the Hi-Mark sign,” Smith. “It has always been a landmark for me, and when I posted on Facebook, I found it was a landmark for a lot of other people.”
Indeed, let’s #savethesign — we can do better, Kokomo.
St. Francis Fountain in San Francisco to change owners, and hopefully not much else
For only the third time in its 105-year history, St. Francis Fountain in San Francisco is changing hands. The new owners are intent on keeping the winning formula crafted over 20 years that saw the eatery transform from candy shop/ice cream parlor into a popular diner and brunch spot, without discarding its vintage charms. Details here.
I visited St. Francis Fountain, on 24th Street in the Mission District, back in February 2020. I wrote then of the restaurant’s history:
I’ve visited San Francisco more times than I can count -- and almost ended up moving there several years ago, yet I only learned about St. Francis Fountain recently.
So once I’d dropped off my bags at the hotel during my visit last month, I hoofed it a few miles (I love walking in San Francisco probably more than any other American city) straight to the St. Francis Fountain in the Mission District. It’s swoonworthy, inside and out, and has been since 1918, though the soda counter arrived in the late 1940s.
I put in my order for a vanilla milkshake, asked if I could take some pictures and began to explore the place. What do you think? I was instantly smitten.
I spoke to a woman at the counter who makes it a point of coming here for lunch regularly -- it’s that kind of place.
When new owners took over in 2002, they kept the soda fountain bonafides of the place while refreshing the menu.
They’ve done an amazing job, and have hung in there despite what they told the San Francisco Chronicle a few years ago can be a challenging environment for mom and pops.
Thank goodness we still have this place -- I can’t wait for my return visit.
Reader’s Digest enters sweet debate and declares best ice cream spots in each state; I’ve been to 6 of them, and here they are
Reader’s Digest had the enviable (or really, unenviable) task of naming a top ice cream spot for each state in the nation, and I’ve been to six of them. That’s 12 percent — not too shabby! Check out the full article here.
Here are some snaps of the ones I’ve visited. What are your favorite place for ice cream?
Cliff’s Homemade Ice Cream in Ledgewood, New Jersey, was named the top spot in the Garden State.
Writes the magazine about Cliff’s:
It's the home of the Skyscraper (don't ask) and offers more than 60 ice cream flavors (as well as 11 soft-serves).
Another spot on the list I have visited is Ted Drewes in St. Louis, Missouri. Reader’s Digest writes:
A St. Louis staple, Ted Drewes is known for the best frozen custard in the country, or at least that's what the locals will tell you. But visitors can also get Ted's "concrete," the most popular treat, at these custard stands.
The Big Dipper of Missoula earns the top spot in Montana! Below is what I wrote about the Bigger Dipper after my visit last year.
We’d put in a long day on the Montana roads, starting early in Billings, with stops in spots like Bozeman, Butte, Anaconda and finally, Missoula. Each of those stops had been packed with roadside wonders, but finishing our day at Big Dipper on South Higgins Avenue in Missoula was truly a sweet reward for all that driving.
Big Dipper was founded in 1995, and today sits at a location that was once a gas station, a yogurt shop, a sandwich shop, and a catering business before becoming home to this charming ice cream store, famous for its innovative and seasonal flavors, chill vibe and long lines. Its neon sign and the cute little building lend Big Dipper a timeless quality.
People were scarce on the night we were there. Indeed, I’m glad they don’t close for the winter, as my travel pal and I were able to enjoy a treat, despite the subfreezing temperature and off-and-on snow squalls. Not closing in the winter months was key to the business plan, owner and founder Charlie Beaton told the Missoulian some years ago. And it took some doing, the paper wrote, to convince customers that ice cream could be “just as tasty in January as in June.”
I can attest it’s tasty in February, too.
Beaton got into the ice cream business – a business degree in hand - because he enjoyed making ice cream, and making people happy, he told the Missoula Current. I find that happiness is the underlying theme of the successful ice-cream shop – taking joy in the work and in the smiles the work brings to others.
Big Dipper enjoys a national reputation, and has a second location Missoula, along with stores in Helena and Billings. And keep an eye out for their truck aka Coneboy, at events around Missoula.
This is my third post from Missoula – scroll back to see a vintage Dairy Queen, which is not far from @bigdippermissoula, as well as the Thunderbird Motel. And I have much more to come from this fun college town, one of my favorite places in Montana.
In Pennsylvania, Klavon’s in Pittsburgh came in for the win, and I sampled the wares there on a perfect October day last year!
Writes RD:
Opened in 1923 as a neighborhood apothecary and ice cream shop, Klavon's served ice cream until it closed in 1979. Twenty years later, the shop reopened, and the owners kept the sweet retro parlor with its marble countertops, Coca-Cola–like revolving stools, and wooden phone booths intact
Carl’s Frozen Custard takes the cake for the top spot in Virginia in the Reader’s Digest roundup!
I can’t say enough good things about Carl’s Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I find myself on I-95 in this corner of the world at least twice a year, and I always make sure to stop at Carl’s.
My writeup on Carl’s from a couple of years back:
I’m not sure exactly when I discovered Carl’s Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg, Virginia, but I’m so glad I did.
For at least 15 years now, I’ve made it a point to exit Interstate 95 for a sweet treat here. It’s become a cherished tradition, sort of like pulling over at South of the Border farther down I-95.
But you won’t find billboards for hundreds of miles advertising the delicious custard and shakes you can have at Carl’s.
You just have to know it’s here, and once you do, you’re hooked. I found it by accident, a very happy accident.
Over the years, I’ve stopped here with my parents, with my sister and nephews, with lifelong friends. I love letting others in on the roadside secret, though it’s far from a secret, really. You’ll often find long lines here.
But for those rushing down I-95 to get somewhere, they are missing a lot of other somewheres along the way, places like Carl’s. I returned to Carl’s last Thursday and enjoyed a vanilla shake (of course) and got some photos I was pretty happy with.
Here’s one. Carl’s opened in 1947 and remains in the same family. It’s even on the National Register of Historic Places, but you don’t have to know the difference between Art Moderne and Art Deco to know that this place matters.
And there’s the original Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury, which was tops in Vermont. I’ve never taken the tour but did take a quick photo during a Vermont getaway last August.
Fireplace restaurant in Paramus closed in 2021 after 65 years. You have one more day to bid on memorabilia from the Route 17 mainstay
The iconic Fireplace restaurant in Paramus, New Jersey, closed in 2021 after 65 years. An auction for memorabilia from the shop ends tomorrow. Check it out here and get the back story here.
This pizza sign is up for auction! I’m tempted …
Below is my essay on the Fireplace from when it closed.
This was sad news to wake up to … a gut punch, really. Just a few weeks after celebrating its 65th birthday, on Independence Day, no less, the flame is being extinguished at The Fireplace in Paramus, New Jersey.
You have until 4 p.m. today to visit, and I’d strongly urge you to do so if you live nearby, either to say goodbye to an old friend or to appreciate for the first and final time what a wonderful vintage treasure this was, truly a piece of roadside Americana. @thefireplaceparamus opened on bustling Route 17 long before the malls, the chains, the franchises, maybe even the bustle. From the minute you see its Tudor stylings and that incredible font, you know you’re in for something special.
Once inside, you have full confirmation – it’s dark in the way old-school restaurants used to be and has a special woodsy midcentury charm, accented by stain-glassed windows and lighting fixtures and Colonial decor.
There’s a Scandinavian concept for the feeling you get here – hygee, a warm kind of coziness, a word related to the English word “hug.” This place hugs you.
Not many places do that. In an interview with @abc7ny, the owner did not pin the cause specifically on the pandemic, but instead pointed to related costs of goods and the labor shortage. “We would like to say thank you to all of our loyal patrons who have supported us during our 65 years,” posted the restaurant, run by Patrick Reilly, son of the founder, Frank Reilly, a former FBI agent and World War II veteran who first served burgers here for 35 cents a patty, @njdotcom points out.
I only wish I could pay an homage in person today. Thanks for the warm memories. Thanks for the hygee.
Notes From the Road
Good news on tap — or in the can? The 80-year-old Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern in Chicago has reinstalled its Hamm’s privilege sign! It was taken down because— get this — the city said they did not have a permit for it despite having it up since around 1956, when it was given to the bar for free by the beer company, much in the traditional way these deals work. (A Gold Crown sign predated it.) The owners took it down, and took on City Hall so they could put it back up. Bravo! And yes, they still sell Hamm’s and the sign is darn effective — the bar, the owners say, is the top seller of 12-ounce Hamm’s cans in the nation. Seems like Hamm’s should have been paying Archie’s all these years! [Book Club Chicago]
INFURIATING: The folks at Lucille’s Luncheonette in Barnegat Township, New Jersey, were proud of the wooden devil mascot that sat outside. Old Lucifer was a nod to the legend of the “Jersey Devil” that is said to lurk in the South Jersey Pine Barrens. Now they are mourning because of something wicked that was done to Lucifer. Under the cover of darkness — but under the watchful eye of a security camera — somebody grabbed The Devil, dragged him, and ultimately destroyed him. A wing was found nearby. The artist who carved it — he’s a saint, as you will see — has offered to create a new Devil! I tell, you, whoever danced with the devil this way is not only a jerk — that’s a technical term, I’ll have you know — but also crazy for messing with the devil, though perhaps he’ll claim the devil made him do it. The eatery also has a wonderful Breyer’s ice cream privilege sign, which was not disturbed. I certainly would have raised holy hell about that. Needless to say, I hope to visit Lucille’s once the new devil gets his due. [Lucille’s Luncheonette]
The Nestlé plant in Freehold, New Jersey, which sends the aroma of fresh coffee through the surrounding neighborhood, is closing after 75 years, and claiming 227 jobs. It’s the company’s last coffee plant in the United States. [Patch]
GET YOUR KICKS! A historic building on Route 66 that began as a service station has been saved and turned into an interpretive center about Mother Road history, in Edwardsville, Illinois. [The Intelligencer]
After 77 years, Brown’s Bakery in Midtown Oklahoma City is closing. The last day is July 8. The original sign is inside the shop. [KFOR]
A historic firehouse in St. James, on Long Island, could be recognized as a landmark. [Newsday]
Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Amy Schumer have joined the effort to save the West Park Presbyterian Church in Manhattan’s Upper West Side from demolition. [West Side Spirit]
Two FDNY firehouses in the Bronx receive landmark protection. [6squft]
A long-vanished neon sign for a historic gay bar in Edmonton, Canada, has resurfaced at a neon museum there. The bar was called Flashback, and the sign truly is that. [Daily Hive]
A historic New Zealand dairy store (a corner grocery store) is being demolished, but artifacts will be salvaged. Look how beautiful it once was. [Stuff]
A 1960s redoubt for Aspen, Colorado, “ski bums” is about to get an overhaul — and the bums are getting the boot. [Aspen Public Radio]
Related: A look at the state of the “ski bum.” [Aspen Times]
Jacksonville, Florida, preservation releases list of city’s endangered buildings. [First Coast News]
And a building in that city that once housed Florida’s only Ford manufacturing plant (and where Model Ts were produced) is being demolished. [The Drive]
Gene & Jude’s Hot Dogs in Chicago is sporting a new retro Coca-Cola sign, which blends nicely into the environment! [Facebook]
The Clam Bar at Napeague, on the East End of Long Island community of Amagansett, is getting spruced up, but nothing to fear: mom sold the shop to her daughter, and the 40-year-old shack, right down the road from the iconic Lobster Roll with its LUNCH sign, is in good hands. [Dan’s Papers]
Another Long Island fish place isn’t faring as well. The Jolly Fisherman in Rosyln is closing after 66 years. [Jolly Fisherman]
Buyer rescues Forman Mills and saves the New Jersey-based discounter from bankruptcy. [6ABC]
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Two seminary friends I witnessed a rather bold dive-by mooning while enjoying our cones outside Ted Drewes on a humid St. Louis evening. Indelible memories, those.
I am disappointed to see that Whitestone Lanes is closing. I went there for several birthday parties as a kid and I went there as an adult where we would go bowling and then the Arcade that was in the same shopping center. I think all of the bowling alleys from my Queens youth will now be gone, such as Hollywood Lanes in Forest Hills and the other that was either down Queens Blvd.