2008 Woodie Awards
City approves expansion of Main Street 'Korner' stone
Aaron Holm
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: News
Plans were approved last Tuesday to convert the parking lot behind the Korner Diner into a three-story building that will house six apartments and provide additional covered parking spaces in central Newark.
Joe Charma, an engineer at Landmark Engineering, the company overseeing the project, said plans for renovations were first proposed in 1999, but preservation of the Korner Diner has kept stalled construction until now.
"The project is a win-win for the property owner, the residents of Newark and the city of Newark," Charma said. "A perpetually historic building will be renovated and preserved. A new building will replace a deteriorating eyesore of a structure, tremendously improving the streetscape on Main Street and Haines Street."
During the planning commission meeting on May 6, there was debate whether to place a restriction in the deed to maintain the diner as a diner or whether to simply keep the art-deco façade of the building.
Newark resident Jean White asked the commission to preserve the building as a diner.
"Diners are unpretentious, casual and down to earth," White said. "They serve basic food in ample portions at reasonable prices. They have traditionally been places where all types of customers are welcome, and they encourage casual repartee between servers and customers."
Ralph Begleiter, a planning commission member and a communication professor at the university, said he appreciated the sentiment but was wary of placing such restrictions.
"I don't think we could say that the Farmer's Bank building always has to be a bank, and I don't think that we can deed restrict the contents of a building to be always a diner," he said.
Charma said the original diner building was constructed in 1953 with additional construction in 1958. It has been known under the names of Newark Diner, Hollywood Diner, Jimmy's Diner, Jude's Diner and its current one, Korner Diner, he said.
Gus Tsionas, owner of the diner's property since 1983, said the suggestion of housing three tenants in each apartment would not be economical for him.
Joe Charma, an engineer at Landmark Engineering, the company overseeing the project, said plans for renovations were first proposed in 1999, but preservation of the Korner Diner has kept stalled construction until now.
"The project is a win-win for the property owner, the residents of Newark and the city of Newark," Charma said. "A perpetually historic building will be renovated and preserved. A new building will replace a deteriorating eyesore of a structure, tremendously improving the streetscape on Main Street and Haines Street."
During the planning commission meeting on May 6, there was debate whether to place a restriction in the deed to maintain the diner as a diner or whether to simply keep the art-deco façade of the building.
Newark resident Jean White asked the commission to preserve the building as a diner.
"Diners are unpretentious, casual and down to earth," White said. "They serve basic food in ample portions at reasonable prices. They have traditionally been places where all types of customers are welcome, and they encourage casual repartee between servers and customers."
Ralph Begleiter, a planning commission member and a communication professor at the university, said he appreciated the sentiment but was wary of placing such restrictions.
"I don't think we could say that the Farmer's Bank building always has to be a bank, and I don't think that we can deed restrict the contents of a building to be always a diner," he said.
Charma said the original diner building was constructed in 1953 with additional construction in 1958. It has been known under the names of Newark Diner, Hollywood Diner, Jimmy's Diner, Jude's Diner and its current one, Korner Diner, he said.
Gus Tsionas, owner of the diner's property since 1983, said the suggestion of housing three tenants in each apartment would not be economical for him.
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