Fall River's Nite Owl diner could soar with a new owner. See the potential renovations.

Dan Medeiros, The Herald News
·3 min read

FALL RIVER — It's a new dawn for the Nite Owl diner.

Joseph Nasrallah, the owner of the tiny 1956 restaurant iconic in the city’s Flint neighborhood, is hoping to sell the property at 1680 Pleasant St., which includes the diner and the lot behind it.

“If he can’t find a buyer, the next option would be to lease out the Nite Owl, and he would renovate it," Antone Dias told the Fall River Historical Commission during its meeting Tuesday.

Dias, an architect and former Historical Commission chairman, is working with Nasrallah to have the Nite Owl listed on the state and national registries of historic places. The intent is first to make sure the Nite Owl stays intact, then let it spread its wings again with a new restaurateur.

“He felt that it was important to make sure we preserve the structure,” Dias said.

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The Nite Owl diner, at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue in Fall River, could be for sale or lease to the right owner. It was added to the city's Register of Significant Structures on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
The Nite Owl diner, at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue in Fall River, could be for sale or lease to the right owner. It was added to the city's Register of Significant Structures on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

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The Nite Owl was built in 1956 by DeRaffele Manufacturing Co. of New Rochelle, New York, the same company that built Al Mac’s Diner across town. Once a fixture of the Flint and famous for its hot cheese sandwiches, the tiny stainless steel and red enamel striped diner has been long dormant — shuttered for well over a decade, its owl sign silently keeping watch over the neighborhood.

Dias asked the Historical Commission to have the diner listed on the city’s Register of Significant Structures. The board voted 6-0 to do so.

That local level of protection would prevent the Nite Owl from being demolished for up to six months, should a new owner ever decide to tear it down.

Crumbling concrete steps lead up to the Nite Owl diner in Fall River. The diner was built in 1956.
Crumbling concrete steps lead up to the Nite Owl diner in Fall River. The diner was built in 1956.

Dias said his next step would be to file paperwork applying for the Nite Owl to be listed with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Register of Historic Places. Those designations would give the Nite Owl stronger protections, and make it possibly eligible for Community Preservation Act funding and historic tax credits for restoration.

“I was very surprised that it was not listed on the city’s register, let alone the national register for that matter,” said commission Chairman Jason Bouchard-Nawrocki. “It’s small but it’s very significant.”

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The owner of the Nite Owl diner in the Flint is hoping to sell the property, which includes the lot and businesses behind it, or to restore and lease it to a new restaurateur.
The owner of the Nite Owl diner in the Flint is hoping to sell the property, which includes the lot and businesses behind it, or to restore and lease it to a new restaurateur.

How much is the Nite Owl selling for? Make an offer

The property Nasrallah owns is a wedge-shaped piece between Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue. It is home to a Hertz rental car business and the Home Made Donuts coffee shop, which lease their spaces.

Dias said if the Nite Owl is renovated and reopened, the diner would reclaim parking spaces from the lot for customers. He estimated the diner could hold no more than 20 to 25 customers.

Dias created a video illustrating possible renovations to the diner, which would include a revamped interior and an 8-by-8-foot addition styled after a 1950s lunch wagon that would add a bathroom for customers. Currently the building only has a bathroom in its basement — yes, the Nite Owl actually has a basement.

The iconic Nite Owl sign stands above the diner at Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue in Fall River.
The iconic Nite Owl sign stands above the diner at Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue in Fall River.

The exterior would include the addition of a ramp for handicapped accessibility, but otherwise, Dias said, “The goal is for you, from the exterior, not to see much change.”

He added: “I’m sure there’s going to need to be a restoration of the owl itself.”

Any work performed would be up to the Department of the Interior’s preservation standards, Dias said. But any renovations would depend on what the Nite Owl’s future would be.

“They prefer to sell it first and have the new buyers decide what to do with it,” Dias said. “If they can’t find a seller, they’re looking for a lessee.”

As for an asking price, Dias said, Nasrallah does not have a figure in mind. “Folks can propose a number to them,” he said.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Historic Fall River diner Nite Owl could see a sale, renovations