Historic Name: |
Andy's Diner |
Common Name: |
Orient Express Restaurant & Lounge |
Style: |
Commercial - Highway Strip |
Neighborhood: |
Duwamish |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1949 |
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Significance |
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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.
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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.
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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 |
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Major Bibliographic References |
King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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