During World War II, Lynn residents seeking a hot meal at a reasonable price flocked to Riley's Diner on Boston Street, one of 75 streamlined, prefabricated structures manufactured between 1936-1945 by the Sterling Diner Division of the J.B. Judkins Co. of Merrimac.

Like other diners of its era, Riley's was an icon of American life and culture, as ubiquitous as the corner store, the barbershop, the bakery and druggist.

Riley's is the latest piece of that era to fade from the local landscape, as a flatbed truck from M&M Rigging, hired by the Providence-R.I.-based American Diner Museum, was scheduled this morning to lift and whisk Riley's Diner away to its new home in New Hampshire, where it will be restored.

According to Daniel Zilka, spokesman for the American Diner Museum, Riley's Diner, and the historic streamliner Salem Diner in Salem, are among the few remaining Sterling-made models.

Zilka said the coordinated removal and demolition in Lynn freed up the commercial site and also saved the diner. "It's indeed a win-win situation when a 66-year-old landmark can be lifted on a moving truck and located to a new site for future generations to enjoy and appreciate," he said.

Riley's Diner, which measures approximately 36-by-15 feet, is bound for Spring Lake, N.H., where the new owner plans to restore and operate it as a diner, adjacent to a renovated train station, Zilka said.

The American Diner Museum is credited with saving from extinction more than 25 diners in the past 10 years.

Zilka said the American diner had its humble beginnings as a horse-drawn lunch wagon in the 1870s on the streets of Providence, R.I. It evolved into a bustling industry, employing carpenters, painters, tinsmiths, cooks and waitress. The diners were assembled in factories for ultimate relocation to main streets and industrial areas across the country. Customers frequently included factory workers, businessmen, soldiers, truck drivers, firefighters and police officers. By design, the diners were somewhat portable, so that when the landscapes of cities and towns changed, many were simply moved to places where they might thrive.

Henry and Edmund Riley purchased Riley's Diner in 1941. The brothers were replacing a lunch cart that sat on the property for 12 previous years, beginning in 1929. The diner had a series of different operators, the last known as the Boston Street Diner. In 1985, the diner was converted to a flower and balloon store.

Nondas Lagonakif, principal of N&C Realty, recently purchased the diner and the land to develop a retail business on the site. The American Diner Museum offered to serve as agent for the developer to ensure that the landmark was saved.

Several other historic diners remain in operation on the North Shore, including the popular Agawam Diner on Route 1 in Rowley, and the Bel-Air Diner in Peabody.

Originally published online here: http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/view.bg?articleid=11093