Last Little Tavern in the Washington region closes

A sign on the Little Tavern on Route 1, Laurel's oldest restaurant, says it is closed for renovations. The business is likely to be converted into a bakery/doughnut shop. Photo By Joe Murchison. Laurel Leader.

Recently, Blake Gopnik wrote about the possible demise of the Waffle Shop, the last extant "old" diner type restaurant left Downtown. See "Fast-Order Classic," from the Post.

The Laurel Leader reports that the region's last Little Tavern is closed, and unlikely to be reopened, in "Eatery's closing is end of era." From the article:

The last Little Tavern hamburger shop in the Washington area -- Laurel's oldest restaurant -- closed last weekend on Laurel's southbound Route 1. The restaurant, one of about 50 Little Taverns that operated in the Baltimore-Washington area during the past century, is likely to be converted into a "bakery/doughnut shop," said city planning director Karl Brendle, who has talked to the facility's new operator.

The Maryland Historical Trust has listed the Little Tavern on its Maryland Inventory of Historic Sites. With the closing, "there are -- count 'em, two -- operating Little Taverns left on the planet Earth," said Jerry McCoy, president of the Silver Spring Historical Society. Both are in Baltimore.

Little Tavern buildings are extant in many neighborhoods such as on H Street NE (a nail shop), Pennsylvania Avenue SE (The Lil' Pub), and in Georgetown (part of Paolo's restaurant).

Index Keywords: historic-preservation