Empire Diner

The story

The Empire Diner opened on Leap Day — February 29, 1976 — a fitting birth date for a place that would become something singular. Built by the Fodero Dining Car Company in 1946 and later abandoned, it was refurbished that year with one telling addition: a stylized Empire State Building outline on its roof. From then on it became a city fixture and an artists' nexus in Chelsea, its art deco exterior drifting through films and television until it felt less like a restaurant than a landmark. It launched an entire vogue for upscale retro diners.