Mickey's Diner in St. Paul

There have been complaints among St. Paul merchants and restaurateurs that business was slow during last week's Republican National Convention. But one place was packed with customers every time I walked past it--Mickey's Diner.

From the Minnesota Historical Society web site:

Mickey's Diner has been serving breakfast to Minnesotans for more than 60 years. The only known dining car of its type to survive in Minnesota, it was prefabricated in New Jersey, shipped to St. Paul by rail and installed in the heart of downtown. Despite the proliferation in recent years of fast-food chains and franchised restaurants, the diner remains a successful business, in part due to its unique atmosphere.

Inspired by streamlined railroad dining cars, Mickey’s sports a symmetrical facade clad with yellow and red porcelain steel panels, a horizontal band of plate glass windows and a projecting neon sign with Art Deco lettering. The interior of the diner features stainless steel, mahogany and mirrored fixtures. A glass vestibule, added when the diner was installed, protects patrons from harsh Minnesota winters.

National Register of Historic Places added Mickey's Diner in 1983.

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