The last HoJo's has closed: We remember when south Palm Beach had a Howard Johnson's
Word has come that the last Howard Johnson restaurant in the country has closed. The Albany Times Union reported that the restaurant in Lake George, New York, which had been open for 70 years, did not open for the unofficial start of summer over Memorial Day weekend and is for lease.
Did you know that Palm Beach once was home to a HoJo's restaurant? The restaurant was for years a staple in the island's South End, on South Ocean Boulevard just north of the bridge to Lake Worth.
The original building permit was issued in 1954 for the construction of a $65,000 Howard Johnson's restaurant at the northwest corner of State Road A1A and Lake Avenue.
Miami architect Rufus Nims, listed on the permit, was credited with the template for the iconic, red-roofed Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, used in many locations, according to the Triangle Modernist Houses website.
The restaurant chain got its humble start as a soda fountain at a Quincy, Massachusetts, pharmacy owned by Howard Deering Johnson, according to the Florida Backroads Travel website.
How Howard Johnson's '28 Flavors of Ice Cream' was created
When the fountain became busiest part of the store, Johnson came up with a tasty ice cream recipe with more butterfat. He eventually created 28 flavors, and the store's trademark became "28 Flavors of Ice Cream."
In the 1960s and 1970s — with the rise of motor travel in the U.S. — there were more than 1,000 Howard Johnson's restaurants in the country and another 500 motor lodges in 42 states. The restaurants were famous for fried clams — and, of course, ice cream.
But, as times changed and fast food grew in popularity, the HoJo's model of serving high-quality, reasonably priced food in sit-down dining rooms could not compete.
The history of Palm Beach's Howard Johnson's
In Palm Beach, the building became Murray's Palm Beach diner in 1991 with a name change to South Ocean Grill in 2000, Palm Beach planning administrator John Lindgren told the Daily News in October 2011.
The buidling was shuttered in 2001, Lindren said.
Almost a decade later, new owner Richard Sloane attempted to have a new building constructed on the site, at 2880 S. Ocean Blvd.
But after having two proposals shot down by the town's Architectural Commission, Sloane withdrew his request to raze and replace the building and instead spent $275,000 on interior renovation in late 2011. It opened as Ocean Via Realty LLC.
Nowadays, it houses Kevin Sloane Real Estate, and except for the shape of the building, it looks nothing like a HoJo's.
Do you have a favorite restaurant that closed?
Tell us about it. We may feature it in an upcoming history story. Please include the full name of restaurant and its former location. And tell us why it was so special to you or your fondest memeories of it. Please email your information to the Palm Beach Daily News at copy@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach history: Howard Johnson's restaurant stood on South End
