{"nrhp_refnum":"99001119","name":"Al Mac's Diner-Restaurant","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135 President Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.716145820000065,"lon":-71.15421253799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-12-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1953 stainless steel diner-restaurant at 135 President Avenue in Fall River, Massachusetts, built by DeRaffele Diners of New Rochelle, New York. It was moved to its current site in the mid-1970s.","why_significant":"It is a well-preserved example of a 1950s stainless steel diner and the oldest of four DeRaffele diners in Massachusetts. It is also associated with Allen J. McDermott, a Fall River diner operator whose family ran lunch carts and diners from the 1910s into the late 1960s. Its size and rear kitchen reflect the 1950s shift toward family-oriented restaurant-style diners.","narrative":"Built in 1953 by DeRaffele Diners of New Rochelle, New York, this stainless steel diner at 135 President Avenue in Fall River is the oldest of four DeRaffele diners in Massachusetts. Its steel frame is clad in stainless steel with teal porcelain enamel bands, and it has rounded front corners, a projecting entry vestibule, a low rounded hipped roof and rooftop neon signage. Inside, the counter with twenty stools, booths, terrazzo floors and a sunburst-motif back bar remain. A concrete kitchen block was added at the rear in the 1990s. The diner was moved a short distance in the mid-1970s and later reoriented, changes the nomination says did not harm its integrity. It is linked to Allen J. McDermott, whose family operated lunch carts and diners in Fall River from the 1910s to the late 1960s. Its size and separate kitchen reflect the 1950s move toward family dining. It was listed for its architecture and its commercial history.","period_of_significance":"1953","architect_builder":"DeRaffele Diners","architectural_style":"Other: Stainless Steel Diner","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in restaurant use; moved in the mid-1970s and later turned ninety degrees on its current site. A ca. 1990s rear kitchen block was added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.816777-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/19/7896/63789619/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/99001119.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001119/4da9b3efa4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001119/4da9b3efa4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al_Mac%27s_Diner-Restaurant_Fall_River_MA_2012.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al_Mac%27s_Diner-Restaurant_Fall_River_MA_2012.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789619","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Mac%27s_Diner-Restaurant","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4704326"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/al-macs-diner-restaurant-99001119/"}