We All Age
I have not found any pictures of the Hub Diner as it looked originally. That is not surprising; the complex wooden roofs of early diners were susceptible to leaks. Most owners could not afford to repair an original diner roof. Instead, they built a wooden framework above the leaky roof and then shingled or tar-papered a second roof on top of that (like hanging a tarp over a leaky camping tent). Because the edges of the framework showed above the diner’s exterior walls, they usually were hidden by putting new signs atop the exterior walls.
Note that stainless steel diners could have similar issues thanks to corrosive air pollution and acid rain. If new stainless panels were unaffordable, the walls grew taller (and maybe got stucco applied all over) to conceal the added wood-framing.
