Margate Dairy Bar & Burger: Adding on to the Past
Summertime sizzles in southern New Jersey. And no one knows that better than John Mirenda, the builder who was tasked with adding an addition to a popular seaside staple — the Margate Dairy Bar & Burger.
Constructed in 1952, the Margate Dairy Bar & Burger was considered “ultra-modern” at the time — it served frozen desserts, custards, burgers, fries and shakes. Through the years it retained its fifties feel, making it a “must go” place for locals and seasonal shore visitors.
Time for an Update
After more than 60 years in business the owners of Margate Dairy Bar & Burger decided to expand their operations into space adjacent to the business that they had formerly rented to various restaurants. Stokes Architecture was brought on board to keep the nostalgic feeling of the original restaurant while designing the restaurant expansion in a tight space. John Mirenda stepped in to construct the addition.
“We started by using Superior Walls Xi Panels in a below grade application,” says Mirenda, owner of John Mirenda Construction, Inc. “Then we continued upwards and used the same Xi panels for above grade. The walls were set very close to the existing building next door. If we had used cement block, it would have slowed down the project by at least a month.”
Teamwork Makes it Happen
Working with the team at Northeast Precast, Mirenda gained insights that helped him successfully start the construction process.
“Precast concrete walls are definitely the way to go with projects like this,” says Mirenda. “The Northeast Precast crew is extremely professional, they thought through each step of the project and turned around shop drawings very quickly. The Xi panels arrived on site in perfect shape and were installed in just one day.”
All Superior Walls products are custom manufactured off site in indoor production facilities, eliminating any on-site soil contamination such as the form oil used for poured walls. No on-site sprays or bituminous coatings are required to make the walls dampproof. The panels are delivered directly to a jobsite where certified crews install the precast wall panels.
Addition Completed Successfully
With the foundation set in place, work continued smoothly. A canted glass box was added to intersect the existing dairy bar. A canted steel beam was positioned outwardly, with a sleek fifties style created.
Completed in 2015, the Margate Dairy Bar & Burger addition now welcomes even more visitors to experience a “blast from the past” in a unique fifties environment.
