Supper Preserves History

Chatham Patch invited the Chatham Borough Historic Preservation Commission to submit photographs of historic buildings in town and to provide some narrative to accompany the photos detailing the building's importance to the town. For their first installation, the commission chose to submit this photograph of Supper, a restaurant on Main Street in the borouth which was recently given the Jan Westfall Historic Preservation Award.

The award was given to Karen and Tim Hayes, the owners of Supper, at the Jan. 24 Chatham Borough Council Meeting. The Hayes worked to preserve this diner, which was originally built around 1923 and installed in Chatham in 1949. Their alterations to the building included professional kitchen remodeling, restoration of windows, installation of Tiffany sconces and ceiling pendants, painting inside and out, and additions of a wooden bar and a fireplace. Adorning the walls are framed pictures of downtown Chatham and its historic district.

The preservation commission’s chairwoman Colleen Foley said one of the main reasons for awarding the Hayes family was that they strove to maintain and preserve the character of the diner, which is located in the Borough’s historic district.

“The Hayes really wanted to celebrate that original diner form and not attempt to cover it or alter it,” Foley said. “Diners were meant to be these comfortable, quintessential, American-run businesses.

“And that’s exactly what the Hayes family has developed here.”