When You Wish On A Star: The Blue Star Diner
You may be asking why I would blog about an old restaurant which is no longer in business. I will gladly tell you. My mother and I ate may a meal at this restaurant, as well as it being a meeting place to meet other family and friends. My parents have passed as well as some of my family and friends who shared an snack, cup of coffee, a glass of tea or a meal that this wonderful diner.
The owner did most of the cooking. She was in the diner at 3 am every morning prepping for the day, 7 days a week. You were always greeted with a smile, her workers were part of an extended family. The food was made with pride and love. So I just had to give a shout out to his wonderful part of the Hilton Village neighborhood in Newport News, Va.
There is still hope a neon blue star will be lit and a good meal will be had off Warwick Boulevard in Newport News.
The historic Blue Star Diner, which first opened its doors in the Hilton Village area of the city in 1961, is up for sale.
Named to honor the blue star families that populate Hampton Roads’ military community, it’s now been more than a decade since anyone has been able to order anything at the local landmark.
In mid-2010, the landmark Blue Star Diner transferred ownership for only the 2nd time in its more than 50 year history. It was purchased by Belleville Diners from the Blentson family (and its well-known owner Ms. Fannie Blentson, everyone simply knew her as ‘Fannie’). She lovingly owned the diner since it was originally in Woodstock, VA in the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, she and her husband had the diner carefully and amazingly moved to Newport News by truck – to its current and permanent location.
For more than 40 years, Greek immigrants Fotini “Fannie” and Angelo Blentson served up affordable, quality comfort food at the Blue Star Diner.
The eatery became a beloved city landmark, and, as diners across the country began to disappear, gained national attention — including an appearance on the big screen.
Fannie was loved by the community and was responsible for personally cooking home-style meals for many thousands of people over the decades. In the few years prior to Fannie’s passing and the subsequent sale of the property by her children, the diner was leased to various folks as Fannie became a little too old to operate it on her own everyday.
The current owner Belleville Diners, specializes in the restoration and preservation of historic diners in America. We have a strong passion for history and for home-style cooking done with only the freshest and highest quality ingredients. All of the diners we own are originals, from the 1940s and 1950s only. They do not own or operate any recreations.
Starting in mid-2012, they plan to begin a restoration of the building in order to make it again look how it originally did in the late 1950s. They will also be updating the air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing systems – as well as building a new modern kitchen.
The current owner is looking for a buyer with ambitions to fire up the grill once more.
Northern Virginia-based Belleville Diners LLC. bought the diner in 2010 for $240,000 from the Blentson family, the original owners.
Since then a historical renovation has been underway. Michael Lessin, president of Belleville Diners, said it was 80% complete when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“Doing anything in the restaurant industry became a challenge at that time,” Lessin said. “Living several hours away, it didn’t make much sense for me to try to reopen it anymore.
Lessin is looking to sell the property for $1.3 million. The more than half-acre lot also includes a former garage-turned-kitchen and what Lessin believes is a 1940s World War II Quonset hut.
“We hope a future buyer will finish the renovation project and not just buy the property for its large corner lot next to Hilton Village,” Lessin said. “The diner is unique classic architecture and an important part of the heart of the community. We believe we have finished the hardest parts of the renovation, including getting blueprints drawn up and approved, and completing the largest items on the renovation list including a new roof over the kitchen and more than 30 other key components. Now the next owner can complete the kitchen, add their finishing touches, and bring the classic diner back to life.”
Built in 1957 by the Manno Dining Car Company in New Jersey, the Blue Star is one of only two remaining pre-fabricated diners in our region, according to Marc Wagner, an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The other is the Exmore Diner on the Eastern Shore, which is still in operation.
“This is a classic diner. It has stainless steel and to boot, it has the aquamarine, turquoise colors including on the interior,” Wagner said. “That is all very emblematic, fashionable from the early 1960s.”
A state review board has recommended with VDHR that the Blue Star be nominated for the national and state historic registers.
“It still really shows all of its authentic character,” Wagner said. “We’re hoping that it reopens at some point.”
Richard Gutman, who has written several books on the American Diner experience, feels the fad of the 1950s and 1960s could be made profitable in the 2020s.
“The diner was the place where you were more than just a customer walking in,” Gutman said. “It’s a community place. It’s a place where you will go, they know you. You will know them… There’s nothing like a diner.”
