Is there anyplace more inviting than a classic railroad-car diner? It’s a matter of taste of course, in more ways than one. I’d eat in one every day, but my cholesterol is high enough as is. In future centuries, we’ll have figured out a way to make eating vegetables and incessant exercise unnecessary, but until that day comes, diners will have to remain an infrequent destination for your webmaster.
It was almost a lock that the Victory Diner, Richmond Road and Stobe Avenue in Dongan Hills, Staten Island, would be torn down as well after its longtime owner, Maria Pappas, retired after over 30 years and sold to developer Leonard Tallo. But the Victory wouldn’t die. Tallo creditably held off demolition until the American Diner Museum could find a buyer.
The Victory Diner is a classic example of the 1947 Kullman Dining Car Company of New Jersey “Challenger Model” diner unit with glass brick flanking the front doors and corners and exterior blue fluted porcelain enamel panels. It originally stood on Victory Boulevard in Castleton Corners (hence the name) but in 1964 it was moved to Dongan Hills. Scenes from Rodney Dangerfield’s “Easy Money” were filmed here, and Willie Sutton worked in the Victory as a cook while on the lam after breaking out of a Philly prison.
The Richmond County Savings Bank Foundation put up $10,000 to buy the diner from Maria Pappas, and the newly created Staten Island Community Preservation Conservancy, a nonprofit established by former Borough President James Molinaro and developer R. Randy Lee to preserve endangered buildings and open space, contributed the approximately $20,000 necessary to move the diner to Ocean Breeze. The restaurant was eventually area located at the end of the FDR Boardwalk and the start of the Midland Beach promenade, near Freedom Circle and at the foot of Seaview Avenue.
The best laid plans of mice and men…
While rehabilitation that included the gutting of the interior had already begun at the diner’s relocation along the South Beach boardwalk, Hurricane “Superstorm” Sandy so damaged the exterior frame in October 2012 that the rebuilding process could not continue, and the remnants were torn down in May 2013.
The Staten Island Advance had the complete story.
Title card photo: Ronald Saari
10/29/14
7 comments
Diners are dead: long live Denny’s!
Diners are not dead, come to New Jersey and see the many diners in this state.
Glad to hear that. Thanks for sharing. Here in the Valley of the Sun (metro-Phoenix) Denny’s provides a good replication of diner decor & menu items. Plus instead of juke boxes Denny’s audostreams a 50’s soundtrack. Very pleasant dining experience.
So sad, anyone from SI is familiar with the Victory Diner!! Also sad that endangered buildings and open spaces have to be saved by an organization….open spaces are few and far between on the island.
The coolest diners are the ones made from old railroad dining cars which the look of factory made ones imitate
I lived on Richmond Road right next to the Diner and ate their many times It was a quaint little blue and white railroad car and was lucky enough to watch its move at 3am about 20 years ago me and the night bouncer watched it being lifted on a big flat bed trailer truck and gingerly take it very slow to midland ave the ride normally takes about 5 min but because of the heavy load it was almost 90 min at 3 mph Anyway RIP Victory 1964-2013 Tommy Guariano
I WORKED FOR THE VICTORY DINER MANY YEARS AT RICHMOND ROAD, IT WAS IN THE 1970’S ANDI WORKED THEIR FOR TEN YEARS UNTIL I MOVED TO FLORIDA IN 1980, I LOVED MARIA AND PARIS , HER HUSBAND AND TWO SONS WERE ALWAYS THERE TO HELP THEIR PARENTS AT THE DINER, I HEARD IT WAS SOLD AND THEY MOVED IT TO MIDLAND BEACH AND THE HURRICANE SANDY DESTROYED IT.. THEY DONT HAVE ANY DINERS IN OCALA, FLORIDA, ONLY WAFFLE HOUSES AND DENNYS. I WORKED FOR I.H.O.P. FOR 35 YEARS AND JUST RETIRED TWO YEARS AGO. I MISS BEING A WAITRESS, I LOVED SERVING GUEST AND GETTING TO KNOW THEM TOO! BEVERLY. DEMARCO