Saint Paul, Minnesota · Founded 1939 · Building: manufactured 1937; opened in Saint Paul 1939
A 1937 New Jersey diner car that opened in Saint Paul in 1939, closed during the pandemic, and returned in 2024.
Mickey's Diner is a prefabricated Streamlined Moderne diner car manufactured by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1937 and opened on West Seventh Street in Saint Paul in 1939. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 for its architectural and commercial significance. After closing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reopened on October 3, 2024.
The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company manufactures the prefabricated diner car in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"; SAH Archipedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey Crimmons and Bert Mattson open Mickey's Diner at 36 West Seventh Street in downtown Saint Paul after the diner car is shipped from New Jersey by rail.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"; SAH Archipedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey's Diner is added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and commercial significance.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"; SAH Archipedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey's Diner closes during the COVID-19 pandemic after operating at the West Seventh Street site from 1939.
Source: FOX 9, "Mickey's Diner: Customers surprised as iconic St. Paul restaurant holds surprise reopening," October 4, 2024
Mickey's Diner reopens in downtown Saint Paul after its pandemic-era closure.
Source: FOX 9, "Mickey's Diner: Customers surprised as iconic St. Paul restaurant holds surprise reopening," October 4, 2024
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Minnesota Historical Society and SAH Archipedia identify the diner car as a 1937 Jerry O'Mahony product from Elizabeth, New Jersey, shipped to Saint Paul and opened by Mickey Crimmons and Bert Mattson in 1939.
The Minnesota Historical Society and SAH Archipedia document the February 24, 1983 National Register listing and identify the diner as a rare, nearly intact example of a New Jersey-style diner car in the Upper Midwest.
The Minnesota Historical Society says Mickey's was among the first diner cars placed on the National Register, but the sources reviewed do not establish that it was the first nationwide. A comparative review of National Register listing dates would be needed.
Mickey's operated at the same downtown location from 1939 until its COVID-era closure in 2020. It remained closed until reopening on October 3, 2024, so uninterrupted operation is not accurate.
The Minnesota Historical Society and SAH Archipedia identify Mickey's at 36 West Seventh Street and state that the diner car has remained at its original location since opening.
The diner is widely identified as a Saint Paul filming location associated with The Mighty Ducks, but this review did not locate an official Minnesota Film & TV, production, studio, location-permit, or credits record confirming the specific appearance.
Mickey's Diner was built in Saint Paul in 1939.
The diner car was manufactured in 1937 by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey, then shipped by rail to Saint Paul and opened there in 1939.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"; SAH Archipedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey's Diner has operated continuously, 24 hours a day, since 1939.
The diner closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and reopened on October 3, 2024. Its historic 24-hour tradition should not be confused with uninterrupted operation through the present.
Source: FOX 9, "Mickey's Diner: Customers surprised as iconic St. Paul restaurant holds surprise reopening," October 4, 2024
Mickey's Diner was the first diner car placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It was listed on February 24, 1983 and is described by the Minnesota Historical Society as among the first diner cars on the National Register. The sources reviewed do not establish it as the first nationwide.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey's Diner and Mickey's by Willy are the same business.
The historic National Register-listed diner is at 36 West Seventh Street. A separate restaurant, Mickey's by Willy, operates at 1950 West Seventh Street under different ownership.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, MNopedia, "Mickey's Diner"
Mickey's remains legible as an intact diner-car landmark in downtown Saint Paul, with a long family-business tradition and a highly recognizable architectural form. Its history includes a four-year pandemic closure, so the accurate continuity story is survival and reopening—not uninterrupted 24-hour operation since 1939.
Mickey's Diner opened at 36 West Seventh Street in Saint Paul in 1939. Minnesota Historical Society records say Mickey Crimmons and Bert Mattson opened it after purchasing a diner car manufactured in New Jersey in 1937.
Mickey's Diner was manufactured in 1937 by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The prefabricated diner car was then shipped by rail to Saint Paul, where it opened in 1939.
Yes. Mickey's Diner was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1983. The Minnesota Historical Society identifies it as a rare and largely intact Upper Midwest example of a Streamlined Moderne diner car.
Yes. Mickey's Diner closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed for several years. FOX 9 reported that it reopened in downtown Saint Paul on October 3, 2024.
Yes. Mickey's Diner reopened at 36 West Seventh Street in October 2024 after its pandemic closure. Current Downtown Saint Paul and local restaurant listings continue to identify the historic diner at that address.
No. Mickey's by Willy at 1950 West Seventh Street is a separate restaurant operating under different ownership. The historic National Register-listed diner is Mickey's Diner at 36 West Seventh Street downtown.
36 W 7th St, Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 222-5633
The diner reopened after a four-year closure; check its current official or social channels for up-to-date service hours and payment policies before visiting.