Could the Nite Owl Diner's neon sign shine again? The owners ask for $125K to fix it

FALL RIVER — The owners of the historic Nite Owl Diner are looking to brighten up the Flint neighborhood again.

The city’s Community Preservation Committee on Monday will be asked to spend $125,000 “restoring the iconic owl neon sign back to its original more menacing appearance.”

It’s unclear what exactly “menacing” means in that context — but the diner’s neon signage and owl figure, sitting silently atop the long-closed restaurant keeping watch over the neighborhood, have been neglected and broken for years.

If approved, the Community Preservation Act money would also help to repair or install mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The funding would also provide design services, reconstruct a handicapped-accessible bathroom, and restore windows and the diner’s aluminum skin.

The board meets Monday at 6 p.m.

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Work would help save the Nite Owl

In March this year, Joseph Nasrallah, owner of the the tiny 1956 restaurant, indicated his desire to sell the property at 1680 Pleasant St., which includes the diner and the lot behind it.

Architect Antone Dias went before the Historical Commission on Nasrallah’s behalf to ask the board to place the diner on the city’s Register of Significant Structures; it did so, which protects the diner from demolition for six months, should a new owner decide to tear it down.

At the time, Dias also said he was working on having the diner added to the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Register of Historic Places. Those designations would give the Nite Owl stronger historic protections, and make it eligible for CPA funding and tax credits for restoration.

What is the CPA and how is it funded?

The Community Preservation Committee distributes funding from the Community Preservation Act, which dedicates a portion of real estate taxes to a fund that supports affordable housing, open space or recreation, and preserving historically significant properties.

In Fall River, a 1.5% property tax surcharge fills the fund — for the average property owner in the city, it costs about $50 a year. Anyone can apply for funding, if they meet the eligibility criteria, and the city's nine-member board decides how to spend that money locally.

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What is the Nite Owl's history, and what is its future?

The Nite Owl was built in 1956 by DeRaffele Manufacturing Co. of New Rochelle, New York, the same company that built Al Mac’s Diner across town. Once a fixture of the Flint and famous for its hot cheese sandwiches, the tiny stainless steel and red enamel striped diner has been long dormant — shuttered for well over a decade.

There was once also a second Nite Owl location, at Second and Morgan streets, but only this one has survived.

Nasrallah owns the diner and a wedge-shaped piece of property between Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue, home to a Hertz rental car business and the Home Made Donuts coffee shop, which lease their spaces. 

In March, Dias said Nasrallah wanted to restore the Nite Owl to working order and Department of the Interior standards. Its future after that would be up for grabs, but the primary goal was to save it.

“They prefer to sell it first and have the new buyers decide what to do with it,” Dias said. “If they can’t find a seller, they’re looking for a lessee.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River's Nite Owl Diner seeks CPA funding to repair neon sign