Historic diner to reopen on West Side

(Updated, 12:30 p.m.)

PROVIDENCE – The former Poirier’s Diner building, which operated for 50 years under many names in the Eagle Square neighborhood of Olneyville, has been moved to a new location at 1380 Westminster St., where its owners plan to renovate and reopen it.

The circa-1947 diner, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, had been sitting next to Loie Fuller’s restaurant nearby on Westminster before it was trucked to the new site Tuesday morning.

The diner, which over the years has gone by the names Armand’s, Krystal’s, the Top Hat and El Faro, was saved from demolition when most of Eagle Square was razed several years ago.

The new restaurant project is a partnership between developer Jon Ozbek and restaurateur Michael Sears, who opened Loie Fuller’s, The Avery and Ama’s also on Providence’s West Side. Stack Design Build of Providence is the general contractor.

When renovated, the diner will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serve “classic American diner fare,” along with a fall bar and outdoor patio seating, according to Stack Design Build. It is expected to open in the spring or summer of 2012.