Past perfect

There is a growing movement to promote architecture of the recent past. But architects are concerned these buildings - not yet considered historic - will be torn down before their significance is realized.

When done right, preservation of landmarks can be an easy marketing tool that can help business owners cash in, experts -say. Major chains such as Denny's, Silver Diner Restaurant and McDonald's have built restaurants to capture the classic style restaurant owners take for granted.

In this region, several efforts are being made to preserve old architecture. For example, the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg is getting a $12 million makeover. The theater will be a blend of styles from the 1920s and the 1950s. The theater was built in 1925 and renovated in the 1950s, when President

Dwight Eisenhower made Gettysburg his home. A neon-lit marquee was added to the exterior. During the 1970s, the Majestic's owners halved the main 900-seat theater to create two movie theaters. They also converted the adjoining ballroom into a theater.

Current plans call for blending the original, colonial-revival style from 1925 and some of the renovations made in the 1950s. The main theater area will be restored to its original 1925 look. The former ballroom - now a movie theater - will be converted into a modern theater with stadium seating and will have a stage for live performances.

Other buildings stand on the brink of oblivion because not enough people think they are valuable enough to keep, said Vern McKissick, owner of McKissick Associates, an architectural firm in Harrisburg.

"Little bank branches are under the biggest threat," McKissick said. "A lot of people don't know what they have, or it doesn't matter."

During uncertain times, people tend to look back and take comfort in the past, McKissick said.

"It's going back to a time that is safer and simpler," he said.

When times are good, people look to the future, McKissick said. In the 1950s, postwar optimism drove the use of bright colors, such as aquamarine and pink. Cars had fins to resemble rocket ships. Architects used crescentmoon arches, chrome and stainless steel.

Diners from the 1920s through the 1950s have become increasingly popular as a source of comfort food, said Brian Butko, who wrote the book "Diners of Pennsylvania."

"It represents for many people home cooking," he said. "It sort of transcends all the sort of market aspects."

Some people view the train-car style of old diners from the 1920s almost as modern museums, Butko said. Others see them as greasy spoons that serve artery-clogging meatloaf specials. The old diners also pose other problems: They don't have room for modern kitchen appliances, and they typically are not accessible to people with disabilities.

"I think companies struggle with that," Butko said.

Chains such as the Silver Diner eliminated that problem with brandnew facilities. McDonald's built new "old-style" restaurants with drivein windows.

The owner of the Starlite diner in York, Chris Kobanis, tried something different.

He contacted one of the manufacturers that produced parts for the original old-style diners. Kobanis used those parts to be loyal to the original style on the exterior but put modern touches inside, such as neon ceiling lights, to keep things fresh. Kobanis, who is from Greece, added Greek items, such as gyros, to the menu.

"They wanted a new one that satisfies what people are looking for," Butko said. "It has all the styling cues, but it's not scaring them away with something old." A Business owners should be careful not to take away the charm of their establishment by dressing it up too much. Butko, a diner purist, said many modern diners combine too many elements from different periods and create a tacky look.

Different lifestyles bring new styles that threaten those of past decades.

For example, the activism and environmentalism of the late 1960s and 1970s brought the browning of America, McKissick said. Colors were darker. Factories got rid of stainless-steel and started rebuilding with brick. Pitched roofs and two-story homes became popular. The chrome-heavy diners, such as the Lincoln Diner in Gettysburg, were bricked over to adopt a modern took.

During that same time, the exodus of the middle class to the suburbs left historic properties in cities to decay. The Historic Harrisburg Association formed in the 1970s to help preserve turn-of-the-century buildings.

Now, those efforts are being focused on more recent architecture to prevent the same thing from happening again, McKissick said. The Lincoln Diner has been restored to its chrome glory.