Postcard circa 1950s; Kummerlowe
 
 
New Castle, DE 
 --113 S DuPont Highway

 

One of the first two Howard Johnson's Restaurants in "The First State," New Castle opened prior to WW II, and remained open into the 1980s. The 41 unit Dutch Village Motor Inn was adjacent to the Restaurant and advertised it's proximity as a benefit to patrons.

The Restaurant's adjacent motel remained affiliated as a Quality Inn until the late 1980s. However, by 1990 it had gone independent and advertised its adjacent former Howard Johnson's as the Village Station Family restaurant.

In the summer of 1991, the former Howard Johnson's Restaurant underwent a complete renovation and was converted into a Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon. At the time, it was the ninth outlet of the then growing chain of eateries. Moreover it became one of the most popular restaurants in all of Delaware and once had wait times of 45 minutes or more for a table!

 
RIGHT: The collection of photographs at right was offered on eBay in 2005. The photos reportedly show the New Castle HoJo's while it suffered a kitchen fire during 1947.
Screen capture from an eBay offering circa 2005
 
 
Postcard circa 1960s: Kummerlowe
 
 
Photographs 2003: Phil Edwards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABOVE: The circa 1970s "Roof Logo" street sign was recycled by Lone Star.
 
 
 
 
 
© Google Street View October 2019
 
The once exceptionally popular Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon closed in January of 2016, and the former Howard Johnson's remained vacant for a couple of years. Ultimately the building was unceremoniously razed and the site was redeveloped. Amazingly the Dutch Village Motel remained!
 

newcastleairport
 
© Google Street View October 2019
 
New Castle-Airport, Delaware -- 148 N DuPont Highway
 

The New Castle-Airport Howard Johnson's Restaurant's only directory listing was in 1995 which was ten years after the Howard Johnson Company was split apart. During the early 1990s FAI acquired two groups of restaurants from Marriott. The first acquisition involved 17 existing Howard Johnson's Restaurants, and the second transfer was for only three. It is possible that the second property transfer did not involve only existing HoJo's and The airport site was a conversion.

Telephone directories indicate that the site had been a Bob's Big Boy Restaurant and after it's short time as a Howard Johnson's it became an IHOP.

 

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