Diner Closed For Almost A Decade To Be Reopened In Norwich

NORWICH, CT — A historic Massachusetts diner that closed almost a decade ago will get a new home in Norwich. The Shawmut Diner in New Bedford closed in 2014 and has been purchased by Evan Blum, according to WPRI-12, a TV station covering Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Blum paid $20,000 for the former Shawmut Diner in July when the Bristol County Sheriff's Office put it on the auction block. The original owners hoped the restaurant could be used to train inmates in food service, but those plans fell through due to a lack of funding, WPRI-12 reported.

Shawmut Diner has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003 and was listed for its significance in twentieth-century commercial architecture.

Blum is the owner of a 500,000-square-foot former cardboard box factory on Main Street in Norwich, which the diner will be located near, according to Hearst Media.

Preservation Connecticut lists Blum as the owner of 385 and 387R North Main St. the Greeneville Historic District. The 12-building complex was home to a paper box manufacturer from 1919 to 2016.

Blum also operates Demolition Depot, a New York-based restoration company.

He said that he wants to preserve the history of the Shawmut Diner and see it live on, Hearst Media reported.

The diner will be located near hundreds of vendors at a coming arts, antiques, crafts, and flea market. Plans are still early in the process and the vendors have yet to be named, according to Hearst Media.

Blum said he plans to fully restore the diner, which currently has no kitchen equipment or bathrooms. He plans to keep its original name and purpose, WPRI reported.

It will be at least six months before the Shawmut Diner opens in its new Connecticut digs.