Diner Finder Update: Caesar's

Published on Sunday, 19 August 2012 20:40

Written by Randy Garbin

Update: After a quick check of our records, I discovered that that the diner was removed from its original location in Wind Gap in 1995 by Peter Ahnert. This means that when I first photographed it, the diner was already exposed to the elements for seven years or so. We also understand that Mr. Ahnert has recently suffered a massive stroke.

Normally, when we confirm a diner demolished, we simply "unpublish" it from the Diner Finder. In this case, I wanted to make a special note. 

In 2002, we discovered that a developer removed the spacious and once-majestic Caesar's Diner from its long-time location in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. Oddly enough, the developer actually saved the diner from destruction and moved it to storage in a concealed but open lot off Route 512 between Bangor and Planfield Township, Pennsylvania. 

We would have listed the diner on our For Sale list, but when I spoke with its owner and told him that he might possibly get around $25,000 tops for the four-sectioned structure, he replied, "I'll tear it down before I sell it for that." 

Caesar's represented the peak of transitional design for diner builders in the early-to-mid 1960s. Indeed, the structure featured a fantastic mix of "Googie" elements as well as a few colonial touches. Perhaps the style didn't spark a lot of demand from prospective buyers, but when the owner removed it to make way for a Burger King, it easily had another forty years of life and service left in it. 

Because we happened to pass through the area, we detoured to confirm its demise. Google satellite images already showed the diner removed. If anyone has any further information, please pass it along, but given the circumstances, we will assume this diner non-extant.