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One of the oldest diners in Massachusetts, the Capitol Diner is the better preserved of only two known Brill diners in the state. With its monitor roof and pair of end-bay entrances, the Capitol reflects period railroad and streetcar designs. Production of this type of diner was a logical extension of the business of railroad car and streetcar manufacturers, among them J. G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, which began building monitor-roof diners in 1927. Brill's subsidiary plant in Massachusetts, Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield turned out diners until 1932. Renovated following a fire in 1978, the Capitol Diner retains its exterior appearance and historic plan.