{"nrhp_refnum":"04000192","name":"Park Dinor","other_names":["Lawrence Park Dinor"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4019 Main St., Erie","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lawrence Park Township","county":"Erie County","state":"PA","lat":42.150415965000036,"lon":-80.01409616099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story prefabricated stainless steel and porcelain diner on a narrow lot on the south side of Main Street in Lawrence Park Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania. It was manufactured by the Paterson Vehicle Company of Paterson, New Jersey, and assembled on the site in 1948.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the diner is a distinctive example of mid-twentieth century commercial architecture, specifically a Silk City prefabricated diner. It states the building is well preserved, retains integrity of setting, design and materials, and represents a type of modern architecture that has become increasingly rare. It also notes that it has been a community-oriented eatery serving local workers since 1948.","narrative":"Assembled on a narrow lot on the south side of Main Street in Lawrence Park Township in 1948, the Park Dinor is a prefabricated stainless steel and porcelain diner made by the Paterson Vehicle Company of Paterson, New Jersey. Its counter, booths and curved porcelain panel ceiling with stainless steel ribs remain largely intact, and the ceramic tile walls and floor and the restrooms are original. A concrete block kitchen and back porch were added later, and a 384-square-foot cottage built the same year stands at the rear of the lot. The diner was built to serve workers who needed inexpensive, quick meals near the General Electric plant, which had drawn thousands of employees to the area. Its Silk City design, with mass production and low prices, makes it a representative example of a type of modern commercial building that has become increasingly rare. The nomination regards it as a well-preserved example of that type.","period_of_significance":"1948","architect_builder":"Paterson Vehicle Company, Paterson, NJ","architectural_style":"Other: Diner (Silk City prefabricated stainless steel and porcelain diner)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"In continuous operation since 1948 apart from brief periods during ownership changes; exterior color scheme completed in 1995.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:35.696539-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/04000192.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000192/e86e1fd1e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000192/e86e1fd1e9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Dinor_Lawrence_Twp_PA_Apr_13.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Dinor_Lawrence_Twp_PA_Apr_13.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100002402","name":"Lawrence Park Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/lawrence-park-historic-district-100002402/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995549","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Park_Dinor","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7137711"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/erie-county/park-dinor-04000192/"}