(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/ELI CRANOR), Elvis is an icon at the Old South, but Velta Nolan is the manager.

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It's not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's clean. The Old South Restaurant, located at 1330 East Main Street in Russellville (Pope County), was built in 1947 from a modular diner system and reflects the Art Moderne style of architecture. She asked me if I knew what day it was. 2022 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Who came up with it? The item you've selected was not added to your cart. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation.

Central Arkansas Library System. The Summitts worked their way up through the business, first acquiring a rundown diner just outside Hot Springs Village called the Home Plate Cafe years ago when Zach was a child. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1999. In the case of the Russellville location, it only took six days for the restaurant to open.

I didn't have any preconceptions about the "story." By 1960, the building was home to the Woolbright Fixture Company. They first introduced their diner design in the mid 1940s, designed by Stell and architect Glenn Pendergrass. He came to the Old South in spring 2014, about the same time the Summitts bought the restaurant. ", As his father relays their history, Zach smiles. "Friday at 6 o'clock, Hon, things get a little busy around here. There was a problem completing your request. A former restaurant owner and high school football referee, Ware was born in Oklahoma. Gordon Adkins No. For additional information: Together they run a very busy restaurant from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week.

"We know that we're underpriced.". I knew the place had a retro feel that hadn't been re-created it was old. |

Co.

Additional support provided by the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation Inc. It was a Friday. William Stella native of Hugo, Oklahomamoved to Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in 1929 and founded the National Glass and Manufacturing Company, a firm that produced metalwork, fixtures, and furniture for department stores and restaurants. There was a problem adding this item to Cart. My wife and I both grew up in the city, so I'd been inside the restaurant. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Little Rock, AR. The Shamrock Restaurant, located at 2719 Midland Blvd. ${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission.

"Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter," he says, finally, grinning just a little.

A lot of people don't get to do that, and I did.

(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/ELI CRANOR), Dale Summitt surveys an afternoon crowd at the diner from the door of his office while talking on the phone.

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"A lot of the stuff has dropped off the walls. 2 was located at the corner of 10th and Broadway, Little Rock, AR.

There does not seem to have been a standard length to this companys diners, just a standard module. '", Dale pauses and stands, surveying his diner: the waitresses bustling between tables, the cooks sweating in the kitchen as the customers start pouring in. Today, the Old South Restaurant looks virtually the same on the exterior and interior as it did when constructed in 1947, according to the National Register nomination. It is 2019, after all, and everything independent is supposedly dying. More pics can be found HERE.

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The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. I did. The original owner was Woody Mays. Mega corporations such as Amazon and Walmart rule the world. 72201. It's a rare occasion to drive by the Old South and not see a slew of cars parked at odd angles, overflowing into the parking lot of The Atomic Squid, the head shop next door. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. She was not impressed. "We ain't got all that stuff. Please try again later. According to Velta, the Old South has all you really need.

"Sometimes I think, well, it's about the money," he says, as serious now as he has been all afternoon. Dale Summitt and his son, Zach, purchased the Old South a year later and were still operating it in 2022, though they ended the seven-day-a-week schedule so employees could attend church on Sunday. The company was founded in 1929 by its president, William E. Stell, and built primarily showcases, restaurant fixtures and display cases.

(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/ELI CRANOR), The Old South sign stands tall above U.S. 64 (East Main Street) in Russellville. The National Register nomination observes that when it was constructed, the Old South Restaurant was located on an undeveloped stretch of Arkansas Highway #64, at that time the main travel route from Tennessee to Oklahoma. More so from my end, though.".

His son just turned 30.

I'd seen the billboard coming into town, the one that read, "Two Presidents and a King.". You can get the Breakfast Special two eggs (any style) served with your choice of ham, bacon, sausage or Petit Jean bologna, choice of toast, English muffin or biscuits and gravy, and hash browns for $5.99. 66 in Miami, Oklahoma opened on February 8, 1947. "Our menu is not where it could be, as far as pricing goes," Dale says. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/pp0371-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=f6497e2d_0 (accessed April 12, 2022).

It's almost time for the early-evening supper rush, and there's only one question left I can think to ask. Ain't no way you're talking to Dale.". Creating an account gives you access to all these features.

He was home-schooled, so he was right there. The Old South Restaurant remains open in the twenty-first century, having survived tax troubles in 2013 that saw the state close it for several days because of non-payment until a citywide yard sale was held to pay the taxes on the iconic eatery.

Little did I know, I'd be talking to her again. opened in the late 1940s, but doesnt appear to have stayed in business very long. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. We haven't redecorated," Dale says, and Zach laughs, adding, "Yeah, Dad and I aren't the best at that. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism.

Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. She asked if I knew the time. Copyright 2022, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. "Any stuff I can take care of so the Summitts don't have to deal with it, that's what I do. "We don't buy anything prepackaged. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

A long coffee bar and a glass case stuffed with homemade chocolate-and-cream-cheese possum pies. Period. , ASIN It was the first question I asked, and to my surprise, Dale Summitt had a concise answer. Encyclopedia of Arkansas "That goes both ways. Walking through the Old South's doors is like going back in time. A hundred a week, maybe more.". "But we close on Sundays. Unable to add item to List.

It's ridiculous how many hours they put in. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Ben Stanleys Cafe, located on Rt. The prototype was constructed in Fort Smith around 1945 and was managed by R. C. Strub, who had worked at Schwabs in New York City. ", When I asked what made the Old South different, she did not hesitate to point to her bosses. Something went wrong. "He was 12 or 13 when we bought that place. Jeffrey, Randy. There's not much that goes on inside the walls of the Old South that Velta, a five-year veteran and manager of the diner's 48 employees, doesn't know about. When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book.

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Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. Another diner was built from the same Old South kit at Fort Smith, but it was demolished in the 1970s.

It is a modular single-story structure, with streamlined Art Moderne styling consisting of exterior porcelain-coated aluminum paneling, bands of fixed windows, and a protruding aluminum entrance, above which a neon-lighted sign rises. There's a shaky-legged Elvis clock hanging on the front wall. Robinson, Kat.

"Zach grew up in it," Dale says. It was managed by R. C. Strub, formerly of Schwabs, NYC. Please try again. It still stands, in tact, operating under its original name.

I bring up the billboard, and Zach turns to his father. All Rights Reserved. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. "The owners, now, let me tell you. "I deal with the girls and any kind of customer problems," she says. Another Old South Restaurant opened at1330 East Main St,Russellville,AR on April 4, 1947.

By 14 he was cooking. Good food was just the beginning of the Old South's secret sauce, though. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Gordon Adkins No.

Online at https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/138196/the-same-but-better-at-old-south-restaurant (accessed April 12, 2022). Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The diner quickly became an oasis for hungry and weary travelers, providing good food and a place to relax twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.. Four simple rules he has been following throughout his decades-long food service career. "We still hand-cut all of our steak," Ware says. The next week, I gathered up my camera, my yellow legal pad, a pen, and I took a trip back in time to the Old South. It later became Hanks Catering House. I want to know about that slogan: "Two Presidents and a King." U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Arkansas Highway History and Architecture MPS, National Register of Historic Places listings in Pope County, Arkansas, "NRHP nomination for Old South Restaurant", History of the National Register of Historic Places, List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places, University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places portal, property in Pope County, Arkansas on the National Register of Historic Places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_South_Restaurant&oldid=1023782055, Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas, National Register of Historic Places in Pope County, Arkansas, Streamline Moderne architecture in the United States, Buildings and structures completed in 1947, Buildings and structures in Russellville, Arkansas, Diners on the National Register of Historic Places, Northwest Arkansas Registered Historic Place stubs, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 May 2021, at 09:26.