As expected, the historic Streetcar Diner on the old Riviera Roadhouse property has been donated to the village of Gardner, Ill., where it will be moved in the coming days, reported the Morris Daily Herald.
Here’s background about the diner, which no longer operates as a restaurant but was restored a few years ago as a roadside attraction:
The streetcar is the body of a Kankakee single-truck street car, which was built by American for Albany, Ga., and later sold to Kankakee.
The streetcar was moved to Gardner and opened for business as a diner on the south side of the village years ago. Later it was moved into the village, behind a residence, and was used to house workers at the armory during World War II.
“It was moved out to the Riviera in the ’50s or ’60s,” Tom Perkins said. “I’m guessing it was used as an outside bar at the time. They used to hold dances out back where it sits.”
The streetcar will be moved next to the village’s historic two-cell jail. About $5,000 has been donated to facilitate the move, and donated labor and discounted materials will drop the cost further.
The need to move the streetcar became urgent after vandals broke into it and stole the guestbook and a donation box. The burglary occurred after the Riviera burned to the ground in June. The fire was labeled as suspicious; an investigation is ongoing.
(Hat tip: Lynn “Lulu” Bagdon)
Good news! I was wondering what its fate would be when the old restaurant burned.