Front Royal Virginia Howard Johnson's Restaurant
Photos August 1998: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
Front Royal, Virginia
 -- 1401 Shenandoah Avenue
 

Likely opened in 1958 or early '59, the Front Royal Restaurant had been expertly sited to capture local traffic and especially tourists headed into Shenandoah National Park to take the Skyline Drive. Moreover, once on Skyline Drive motorists could follow its 105 miles to Rockfish Gap where the Afton Restaurant awaited them!

A Nims-type, Front Royal was among the earliest Restaurants to employ design elements which were clearly influenced by the optimism of the "Space Age." Gone were nearly all references to Colonial embellishment, for they had been replaced with sleek clean modern lines.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1998 marked the last year that Simple Simon and the Pieman greeted guests, for the famous figural was removed without explanation--never to be returned to its prominent spot. Note that the figural itself was originally gold or bronze in color and the squares behind it were HoJo's teal-blue with white "mortar." Like the plastic scale model made for train layouts, Front Royal exemplified the perfect Howard Johnson's Restaurant!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos August 1999; Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
 
The roof-logo HJ street sign at Front Royal dated from the 1970s. The roof logo signs with only HJ and not Howard Johnson's spelled out were relatively uncommon. Upon the site's opening there would have been a Trapezoid sign that was more than likely topped with a neon Simple Simon and the Pieman. Note that the location did not offer an overflow dining room. Thus there was never a Lamplighter Room at Front Royal.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos 2001 & 2001: Kenneth Kummerlowe
 
Showing the symptoms of deferred maintenance, the Restaurant's owners had ceased repairing the HJ sign and significant chunks had rapidly chipped away.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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