‘The American Diner’ talk set for Tuesday

With its stainless-steel siding, streamlined exterior, and colorful neon signs, the classic roadside diner is as quintessentially American as the apple pie on its menu. Whether you sit on a stool at the counter or lounge in one of the vinyl-upholstered booths, you can’t help but feel nostalgic for a simpler time, a sense of optimism, or the joy of the open road. But how did these iconic restaurants come to look like they do?

In a talk sponsored by the Middlesex County Historical Society, the Connecticut River Museum’s executive director, Christopher Dobbs, will tell the story of the American diner’s form and function. His presentation, “The Architecture of the American Diner: From WagonWheels to Stainless Steel,” will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The talk is free, and everyone is welcome.

Scholars and greasy-spoon aficionados point to four essential characteristics that differentiate an authentic diner from other inexpensive eateries, Dobbs says. First, the diner’s structure is usually prefabricated and hauled to the site. Second, the diner must have a counter and stools. Third, it must offer “home cooking” at reasonable prices. And, lastly, the cooking should take place behind the counter.

Dobbs has identified a fifth defining element: The diner’s association with cars, trains and other forms of travel.

“The diner in its historic sense, is aesthetically bound to transportation,” Dobbs says. “Its form and design have drawn upon popular transportation styles and period décor to become a recognizable fixture in the urban landscape. Wagons, Pullman cars, streamliner trains, even rockets have served as the models for diner design. As modes of transportation have evolved, the look and feel of the American diner has progressed on a parallel track.”

Dobbs has more than 20 years’ experience in historical museum work, having served as director of the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society and as associate director of education at Mystic Seaport.

The Russell Library is handicap accessible. For further information, contact the Historical Society at 860-346-0746.