Dunlap's Dining Room
Historic Sacramento restaurant listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
via Wikipedia: Dunlap's Dining Room · see source
George T. Dunlap, a Black entrepreneur, ran Dunlap's Dining Room from his Sacramento home. Patrons chose from fried chicken, baked ham, or T-bone steak, as no printed menu existed. The popular spot was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book. The building is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Quick Facts
- Location
- 4322 Fourth Ave., Sacramento, California
- Architecture
- Colonial Revival, Bungalow/craftsman
- Built
- 1906
- Added
- April 2, 1992
- Area
- less than one acre
Facts from the source article.
Background
Dunlap built his home in 1906 as a small, 4-room, pink-colored bungalow in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. As his family grew, he added rooms. In 1930, he opened the home's dining room as a restaurant, which ran until his retirement in 1968. The restaurant never offered a printed menu; instead, patrons could choose from three entree options: fried chicken, baked ham, and T-bone steak.
Despite its simple approach, the establishment hosted visitors including Frank Merriam, Earl Warren, and C.K. McClatchy. Dunlap's Dining Room was included in The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for African-Americans listing places that would not refuse them service. In 1997, George Dunlap's daughter, Audrey Dunlap Wilcox, donated the home—now featuring 2000 sqft—to the Sacramento Children's Home with the request that it be used to help families in Oak Park.
In 2001, the home had a major renovation project costing $300,000, turning it into a family resource center for the county. The project included a new foundation while keeping the original hardwood flooring, and a fresh coat of pink paint was applied to maintain the original color.
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