Aetna Diner
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Aetna Diner
| nrhp_type =
| image = Aetna Diner, Hartford, Connecticut.jpg
| caption = March 2024
| location = 267 Farmington Ave.,
Hartford, Connecticut
| coordinates = {{coord|41|46|03|N|72|41|51|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Connecticut#USA
| area = {{convert|0.20|acre}}
| architect = Arthur E. Sieber
| architecture = Modern Movement
| added = August 18, 2021
| refnum = 100006804
}}
Aetna Diner, also known as Comet Diner, Hog River Grille, and Dishes Restaurant, is a historic diner located at 267 Farmington Avenue in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut. Built in 1947 by Paramount Diners and assembled in 1948, the diner was prefabricated from stainless steel. Aetna Diner was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Aetna Diner |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DECD/Historic-Preservation/06_About_SHPO/State-Review-Board/2021_Meetings/March-26_2021/Aetna-Diner-NR.pdf |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=ct.gov}}
Description and history
Manufactured by Paramount Dining Car Company in Haledon, New Jersey, the prefabricated diner car was transported by truck to Hartford in three sections, placed on a concrete basement foundation on the corner of Farmington Avenue and Laurel Street, and bolted together. Original owners Gus and Helen Vlecides ran the Aetna Diner for four decades. Built in the "streamliner" deluxe style and more than {{Convert|32|feet}} wide with 32 booths in three rows and a back bar with 25-stool counter, the diner became known for hosting dinners and dances. Eddie Fisher, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Telly Savalas ate there, and the owners catered events for Governor Ella Grasso.{{Cite web |last=Gosselin |first=Kenneth R. |date=2019-02-22 |title=Fresh start again sought for vacant, decaying Comet Diner in Hartford’s Asylum Hill |url=https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-hartford-comet-diner-renovation-20190222-k26pd6ib7fhcpj6vygsbzpmvlq-story.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Hartford Courant |language=en}}
Starting in 1984, the diner went through a series of renter and name changes. It had an eight-year run as the Comet followed by eight years as the Oasis and short-lived eras as the Hog River Grille, Mississippi Bar and Grille, and Dishes Restaurant through the early 2000s. The diner has remained vacant since Dishes closed. The building and parking lot are privately owned.{{Cite web |last=Gosselin |first=Kenneth R. |date=2016-08-17 |title=Owners Pull Plan To Demolish Comet Diner |url=https://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-comet-diner-vote-20160817-story.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Hartford Courant |language=en}}
In 2024, a $3.1 million grant to restore and refurbish the diner as a community center was approved by the state.{{cite news |last1=Puffer |first1=Michael |title=State board approves $3M to redevelop former Aetna diner in Hartford; $74.3M green-lighted overall for building projects across CT |url=https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/state-board-approves-3m-to-redevelop-former-aetna-diner-in-hartford-743m-green-lighted |access-date=6 April 2025 |publisher=Hartford Business Journal |date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915033743/https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/state-board-approves-3m-to-redevelop-former-aetna-diner-in-hartford-743m-green-lighted |archive-date=15 September 2024 |location=Hartford, Connecticut}}{{cite news |last1=Lemanski |first1=Michael |title=Beloved Old Diner In Hartford Awarded Millions |url=https://patch.com/connecticut/hartford/beloved-old-diner-hartford-awarded-millions |access-date=6 April 2025 |publisher=Patch |date=14 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618103355/https://patch.com/connecticut/hartford/beloved-old-diner-hartford-awarded-millions |archive-date=18 June 2024 |quote=A beloved, but long-abandoned, diner in Connecticut's capital city will be resurrected following state approval last week of a multi-million-dollar grant to fund it.}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut}}
Category:Modern Movement architecture in the United States
Category:Diners on the National Register of Historic Places
Category:Diners in Connecticut
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hartford, Connecticut
Category:Buildings and structures in Hartford County, Connecticut
Category:Restaurants established in 1948