Picture courtesy of David Spriggs
According to the research compiled by the alumni of
Newport News High School, The Blue Star Diner was built as a prefabricated diner in New Jersey in 1958 by Manno Dining Car Company. It opened in 1961 in Woodstock, VA by Angelo and Fannie Blentson, then it moved to Newport News in 1963. It was used as a set in the 1987 movie "
Zelly and Me" and featured in 1996's "
Blue Plate Special: The American Diner Cookbook." The Blentson's owned the Blue Star for 46 years and the building was closed in December of 2005 after a small fire. In 2007, the restaurant reopened under new management, but closed in January 2010. The next month, the Daily Press reported that the restaurant was under contract to be purchased by Belleville Diners from Dulles, VA. Reportedly, this group was interested in restoring the diner to it's '1950s' glory and planned to reopen the Blue Star within 6 months.
Fast forward to 2012... The Blue Star building is slowly decaying, with no signs of work being done. When I attempted to contact
Belleville Diners for the sake of this article, I could find no way to reach them. Their website contains no information about their organization, nor does it mention any plans for the crumbling diner. I also tried calling the number listed for them online three times and there was no answer. It is my concern that the diner will continue to deteriorate as no plan of action for its preservation appears to be taking place. It would be a great loss to the area if this building were allowed to fade into oblivion.
No comments:
Post a Comment