1988, Savage and Ver Ploeg. 1111 25th St.
One of the nostalgic rediscoveries of the 1970s and 1980s was the Streamline Moderne diner of the 1930s. Diners were rediscovered first by writers and painters, and then starting in the late 1970s a number of clients and architects began to produce contemporary versions of them. The Drake diner is a wonderfully playful example of this contemporary version of the older form. And yet, as it should be, this more recent interpretation mirrors not only the 1930s, but the prevailing influence of Postmodernism. The hooped glass roof, the sheathing of gleaming, shiny metal, and even the checkerboard tile pattern are all ingredients of the late 1970s and 1980s.