In what is apparently a Wisconsin town, several brave souls help unearth a snow bound 1967 Plymouth.

The silver and green aluminum-clad diner on Route 1 near the corner of Bakers Basin Road in Lawrence has been known as Calhoun, Cass, Giordano and Ben’s over the last 50 years.

It is one of only five surviving diners built by the Mountain View Diner Co., the Little Falls company that pledged its wares would “last a lifetime.”

But this diner will have to live on somewhere else.

The diner site is included in a 16-acre redevelopment project owned by SSL Realty Holding and developer Bill Hotz has offered up ownership of the half-century-old diner to anyone who can remove it to another location.

The project would transform the site of Mrs. G TV & Appliances and the surrounding area into the new Lawrence Commons shopping center. The plan, which the Lawrence zoning board approved in May, includes a TD Bank, Wawa gas station and convenience store and a brand new Mrs. G location and showroom.

In 2001, the state Historic Preservation Office ruled that the diner was eligible for the state and National Register of Historic Places, according to Janice Armstrong, Preservation New Jersey program director.

But the diner is unlikely to make the list anytime soon, Armstrong said, leaving demolition as an option. A nomination process would have to be completed.

“The Historic Preservation says it’s historically significant and it could be listed on the National Register. But I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Armstrong said. “If someone doesn’t buy it quickly, then it’s gone,” she said.

Hotz, Mrs. G President Debbie Schaeffer and Lawrence township officials did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.

Since Wednesday, Armstrong has alerted history buffs and interested restaurateurs to the diner’s plight and said at least one person had expressed interest in moving and taking control of the diner.

According to the Historic Preservation Office report, the Route 1 diner was the only surviving Mountain View Co. diner in central New Jersey and one of only five in the state.

Most of its original ceiling, diner counter and stools still remained, said Dorothy Guzzo, former historic preservation deputy officer. A rear addition to the diner could easily be removed if the structure were preserved, she said.

“The diner interior, although altered, clearly conveys the historic character of the diner,” Guzzo said.

The diner was originally located on Calhoun Street in Trenton, the street it was originally named after, and relocated to the Route 1 site in the 1960s. Shortly thereafter, it was renamed the Cass Diner, then the Giordano Diner and then simply as Ben’s Diner.

It’s not the first time buildings have been offered for free to make way for development: Earlier this year, Princeton University offered up homes along University Place and Alexander Street to anyone who could move them.

When no one came forward, the homes were demolished.

Contact Mike Davis at (609) 989-5708 or mdavis@njtimes.com.

Even Darth Vader has taste in music.

can someone please tell me what in the world is possibly wrong with this perfect and personal design? TIMELESS!

Ed Cheatham’s Oklahoma City, Anderson-Prichard Filling Station: What a cool photo from the Donald Ellis collection that he is kindly sharing with of us. Donald has a good eye for great photos and this one exceptional. He lived in this area for years and has this to say about this monumental filling station: This picture is of an Anderson-Pritchard Station at 13th and Hudson in OKC.

"Like a rock."

Spent a wonderful day at Nicola Bulgari's American car collection in Allentown, PA. Multiple buildings in a private 21-acre park-like setting, still in construction phase. Will eventually be turned into a museum. Shot taken from entertaining area above; one half of the main building. Will post some really interesting cars over the next few days. From Marty Schorr... https://www.facebook.com/MartynSchorr

Three-wheeled VW bug.

His family lived next to the town dump when he was a kid in Nebraska. It's where they got their furniture, their flooring, and by selling items, their Christmas money. But it's also how Ernie Adams learned his craft, how to make things, especially how to put motors on things with wheels.
Now 72 years old, Ernie looks back at a life including patented inventions, the creation of a new class of stock car racing, and currently, the building – from scratch, by hand – of immaculate, scaled-down, street legal replicas of vintage American autos.
You can visit his workshop deep in the Arizona desert, but don't bother asking to buy one of his Dwarf Cars - he never sells anything he creates.
[Coming April 2013]
This project is a collaboration between:
Director/Producer Jeff Diehl (DocuPromos.com)
Cinematographer Garrett Caffacus (PowerageDVP.com)
Producer Scott Lyman (SPLPictures.com)
Aerial videographer Ziv Marom (ZMInteractive.com)

"Galaxie 500" by Reverent Horton Heat. One of my favorite car songs.

Retro diner.