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Summary for 2963 4TH AVE / Parcel ID 7666205505 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Andy's Diner Common Name: Orient Express Restaurant & Lounge
Style: Commercial - Highway Strip Neighborhood: Duwamish
Built By: Year Built: 1949
 
Significance

Andy’s Diner, which consists in large part of repurposed train cars, was first created in 1949 on the site of a previous diner of more traditional construction, which dated from 1930. Two men named Andy, Andy Nagy and Andy Yurkanin, who were respectively uncle and nephew, founded the restaurant. They ran the popular diner from 1949 to 1991. The diner started out in one railcar, but soon expanded to include many more, including cars from Seattle City Light’s Skagit dam building project, as well as from a local junkyard. The restaurant also acquired one of the campaign railcars, in which Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt rode. The green FDR train car, set in a prominent location,  has the following words painted on it: “Assuming the presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, FDR helped the American people regain faith in themselves.” Around 1991, after the death of the older Andy and the retirement of Andrew Yurkanin, Andy Yurkanin’s son took over the management of the diner for five years. In 2008, the restaurant reopened as a Chinese restaurant called the Orient Express.


Additional Sources

Dan Raley,Tidelands to Tomorrow, the History of Seattle’s SoDo, Seattle: Fairgreens Publishing, LLC, 2010, p 124 & 126.


 
Appearance

The former Andy’s Diner, now known as the Orient Express, consists in large part of repurposed train cars, in addition to a more traditional wood frame building. The cars have been refurbished to accommodate dining facilities and are held up on metal supports. The exterior of the wood structure includes other apparently repurposed elements in other materials, such as corrugated metal and concrete.

Detail for 2963 4TH AVE / Parcel ID 7666205505 / Inv # 0

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Site District Status: INV
Cladding(s): Metal, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured, Other
Roof Type(s): Flat, Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition, Metal
Building Type: Transportation - Rail-Related Plan: Irregular
Structural System: Mixed No. of Stories: Various
Unit Theme(s): Commerce
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Slight
Changes to Original Cladding: Slight
Changes to Windows: Slight
Major Bibliographic References
King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.

Photo collection for 2963 4TH AVE / Parcel ID 7666205505 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 28, 2010
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