BELLOWS FALLS-Rockingham for Progress (RFP), the citizens group that owns and is working to restore the Miss Bellows Falls Diner, reports that the project is proceeding slowly and now with a scaled-down renovation plans and a smaller budget.
Andrew Dey of Walpole, New Hampshire, continues to serve as project manager, with Banwell Architects of Lebanon, New Hampshire, handling the design. Those attending a July 19 fundraising dinner got to discuss the project's progress and see the latest architectural plans.
RFP, a civic organization originally formed in 2016, had been inactive for some years before the idea of restoring and renovating the diner breathed new life into the federally recognized nonprofit. Susan MacNeil, Robert McBride, Charlie Hunter, and Jeff Dunbar serve on its board.
The organization has been partnering with the Preservation Trust of Vermont from its start to return the classic Worcester Lunch Car to its former glory.
The National Register of Historic Places recognized The Miss Bellows Falls in 1983, making it only the second diner to be listed on the federal government registry.
As described in the narrative on the application, written by historic preservation consultant Hugh Henry of Chester and submitted in 1982, "the 'Miss Bellows Falls' Diner constitutes the only completely intact example in Vermont of the barrel-roofed Worcester Diner produced by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, a leading manufacturer during the first half of the twentieth century."
The diner "represents a genre and period of American roadside architecture that has been bypassed both physically and culturally during the last two decades," Henry wrote. "Indeed, within Vermont's roadside environment, the Miss Bellows Falls has become a singular survivor of an architectural and cultural expression now verging on extinction."
As Hunter explained last year, preserving the diner and bringing it up to code would not be "a viable project for a private owner."
With that reality, a nonprofit group would be in a better position to go through the often-arduous-and-time-consuming process of applying and qualifying for historic restoration grants.
Dealing with obstacles
At a fundraising dinner on July 19, Rockingham Development Director Gary Fox reviewed how RFP had raised the funds to purchase the then-closed historic diner, which has been at its Rockingham Street location since 1944, from owner Brian McAllister in 2023.
The diner has now been closed since the advent of the pandemic in 2020.
The original plan was to raise the money to refurbish and expand the diner with extra seating. Once the rebuild was completed, the fully functional diner would be leased to an operator.
"While we have reduced the scale and reach of the initial project to be more in keeping with the existing footprint of the diner and kitchen, financing the renovation remains a heavy lift," Dunbar said. "We are grateful to have received tremendous support from our community and granting agencies."
Dunbar said that RFP has raised about $600,000 for the project so far, with about $250,000 coming from local donations and fundraisers. The diner was purchased with donated funds.
Another $100,000 came from the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program, a federal program from the National Park Service.
The grant program, which honors the memory of the longtime founder and executive director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, is specifically designed to support the rehabilitation of historic buildings in rural communities. The program is also used for historic projects that foster economic development.
"We have a good distance to go before having all the funds necessary to ensure the project's success," Dunbar added.
He said that RFP will continue its grant writing and fundraising efforts.
Original plans called for expanding the dining area with an entire extra room cut back into the steep hill behind the structure, which would have entailed extensive and expensive site work.
Banwell architectural designer Matthew Giffin explained that the plan has since been modified four times, downscaling it to keep the renovation within the diner's original size and footprint.
The new design cuts about $500,000 in site work from the project, he said. There will be seating for 32 customers, similar to the way it has been for years. In addition, some outside seating will be available seasonally.
The new plan accentuates the diner's two arched gable ends. Its glass-block entrance walls, although not part of the diner when it was originally opened, will remain.
MacNeil said that the diner will be set up so that "the bones will be there. It will be a 'plug-and-play' situation, where an operator will be able to come in with the necessary equipment and put it in place."
Giffin said the infrastructure for a new commercial kitchen could be moved into a designated "multipurpose room" space with "minimal" issues in a very short amount of time.
Design changes
Another factor that the new design addresses is the closeness of the diner to the neighboring building, Studio 92.
As the two buildings are only a couple of feet apart, building codes require a firewall between the two structures.
The existing basement also needs serious repair work, and parts of the building, including the current kitchen, have no foundation.
So the diner will be moved to a warehouse-type structure for the restoration work, and a new foundation will be built approximately 5 feet farther back from the street and about 15 feet south of the Studio 92 building. Doing so will eliminate the need for a firewall.
The new full-slab foundation will raise the structure from its current height, thus allowing for accommodations that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act design standards, including a compliant ramp and full access.
At present 33 parking spaces are in the immediate area of the diner, including 12 in public lots across the street, 16 in the large public lot to the south, and five on the street. When questioned about parking for the diner, Giffin said that moving the building south will eliminate only one parking space.
He said that 75% of design work should be complete by mid-August, which will allow the project to go into the permitting phase.
Uncertainty about how federal grant funding will be affected by the Trump Administration's slashing of federal agency budgets and personnel has also contributed to concern about the project.
Dey summed up the presentation, saying that the renovated diner will be a "great future space for the community to come together."
This News item by Robert F. Smith was written for The Commons.