ESM — White Tower 1950s Modernized Style available

[jimmo]

There were a few lawsuits back and forth.

Thanks for looking Bryan. Nice WT BTW. I was going for an "after White Tower" structure.

I found this one on photography site but there was no info about it.

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[peteski]

That structure still looks to me more like White Castle than a White Tower, but I can't read the signs on the building.  Could that be either a re-purposed ex-White Castle building or a one-of-a-kind local burger joint?

[Ngineer]

Where they really THAT small? Seating for only three persons? A unisex toilet?

Where was the kitchen? And the storage room?

Mind you, I am not criticizing the model, just wondering at how tiny these diners were.

Cheers

Javier

[bbussey]

There were a few lawsuits back and forth.
Thanks for looking Bryan. Nice WT BTW. I was going for an "after White Tower" structure.
I found this one on photography site but there was no info about it.

James,
That was basic design introduced in the 1920s.  Many of the buildings got Art-Deco facelifts in the late 1930s, but there were still a number of the original design that survived.  I couldn't find your specific building in the book, based on the background landmarks.  But there are photos of the design confirming locations in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, Rochester NY, and others.  New York City had at least 25 and the bulk of them were in Manhattan, amazingly, both stand-alones and insets.  Philly had close to 20, and Camden NJ across the river had at least a dozen.

Now that the Shapeways option is viable, I might design a couple of middle block facings and let the modeler worry about the interior.  Here are a couple from Springfield MA and New York.
 

[bbussey]

That structure still looks to me more like White Castle than a White Tower, but I can't read the signs on the building.  Could that be either a re-purposed ex-White Castle building or a one-of-a-kind local burger joint?

Nope, that's a former White Tower.  That was one of two original designs from the 1920s, before they switched over to the Art Deco phase.  Here's Boston #5 photographed in 1932, which has close to the same door/window/footprint arrangement.

[towl1996]

I might design a couple of middle block facings and let the modeler worry about the interior. 

That sounds like a winner, for me.

[Spikre]

 
  the place in Hackensack may have been called "White Manor Hamburgers",
  this would have been the 65 to 70 time frame.
  it looked similar to those small White Towers that are shown.
  no Hackensack experts out there ?
     Spikre
       

[jimmo]

Nope, that's a former White Tower.  That was one of two original designs from the 1920s, before they switched over to the Art Deco phase.  Here's Boston #5 photographed in 1932, which has close to the same door/window/footprint arrangement.

This is the one, Bryan!

I kind of chickened out on the brick and went with stucco. The rear wall is still brick however.

[bbussey]

  the place in Hackensack may have been called "White Manor Hamburgers",
  this would have been the 65 to 70 time frame.
  it looked similar to those small White Towers that are shown.
  no Hackensack experts out there ?
     Spikre
       

The book documents one WT in Paterson NJ but none in Hackensack NJ.  It does not, however, contain a complete list of all the locations.

[bbussey]

Where they really THAT small? Seating for only three persons? A unisex toilet?

Where was the kitchen? And the storage room?

Mind you, I am not criticizing the model, just wondering at how tiny these diners were.

Cheers

Javier

They were glorified countertop diners.  There was no kitchen.

Some were larger, some were tiny.  They were built on whatever parcel of land that the company could lease.  Yes, most of them could seat more than three, but the model was designed to fit on N scale layouts without taking up a lot of precious real estate.