Cheyenne Diner Stripped of Signs

Michael Perlman, "Diner-Man," bids adieu to the famous sign. (Courtesy Michael Perlman, Chair of Committee To Save The Cheyenne Diner.)

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The Cheyenne Diner, one of New York City's last streamlined railway car-inspired diners, is one step closer to its relocation to Birmingham, Alabama. On Sunday workers removed the Cheyenne's neon signs in preparation for the move, which is to take place within the next few weeks. Last April, owner George Papas (who also owns the nearby Skylight Diner), closed the Cheyenne, which was built in 1940, and prepared to demolish it to make room for a nine story condo.

Enter Michael Perlman, a.k.a "Diner-Man," who helped broker a deal between Papas and Mike O'Connell of Red Hook. But that deal finally collapsed when O'Connell balked at the high cost of moving the diner to Brooklyn. Several weeks ago, following Papas's threat to raze the Cheyenne if nobody took it off his property, Birmingham businessman Joel Owens stepped in and bought it for several thousand dollars. So, Manhattan's loss is Alabama's gain... but at least we'll have another desperately-needed condo to look forward to.