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Author: REPRINT FROM MILTON HERALD
November 30, 2009
Tara Cameron, who manages most of the day-to-day operations, stands outside of Diesel Pizza, which has maintained the architectural integrity of the classic 1940s gas station.
ROSWELL – In 1946 a spanking new service station opens in the heart of Roswell, then a hamlet of around 5,000 people. It is a pristine, efficient operation painted all in white with two bays.
A little more than 62 years later, it is a closed-up repair shop in the midst of a thriving city, the sixth-largest in Georgia, unremarkable to the thousands of cars that pass by each day.
Unremarkable, that is, except to Tara and Jim Cameron. They were impressed with the building’s trim lines and sleek Art Moderne design. The couple also recognized its potential sitting at the fringe of Roswell’s Historic District on Ga. 9 (Atlanta Street) and Norcross Street.
They have since caught lightning in a bottle, creating not only a fun destination in the Historic District, but earning statewide kudos for their creative adaptation of the vintage space.
“We just liked the building. We both thought it would be a cool place for a club,” said Tara Cameron, sitting at a table in what is now their successful restaurant, Diesel Pizza Pub.
She was a commercial real estate broker and husband Jim a contractor. But Tara had worked in New York City as bartender and beverage manager, so when they saw the “for lease” sign go up in what had been an automotive repair shop, they immediately began thinking about what they could do with that classic building.
They decided on the pizza pub, but what to call it? The Camerons knew they wanted to keep the link to its former life, and Tara came up with the idea to name it “Diesel.” Jim went to work revamping the building with minimal changes to the architecture to strike a balance between trendy eatery and its previous incarnation.
“We didn’t have to do much with the outside. We already liked its aesthetics. We kept its original colors inside with the walls half white and half black. We wanted to keep the look and feel of the gas station,” Tara said.
They kept the two big doors of the service bays and roll them up in fair weather to link up with the tables outdoors. Tara created the menu of pizza, salads and Panini sandwiches. Looking for top quality, the Camerons use Boar’s Head brand meats and cheeses.
In keeping with the automotive theme, menu items are dotted with automotive monikers such as the “Turbo Charger” pizza, “The Off Roader” Panini and “Mustang Sally” martini.
Since opening a year ago, Diesel Pizza has been an instant hit.
“Two days after we opened, we were slammed every day,” she said. “We have our regulars, we get families in here. We really are hopping with live music on Friday and Saturday nights. It far exceeded my original Business plan.”
Diesel Pizza also caught the eye of the Roswell Historical Society, which gave it the 2009 Adaptive Reuse Award for transforming an old eyesore into an asset for the Historic District. But that was only the beginning the recognition the Camerons would receive for their efforts.
On Oct. 8, coincidentally at nearby Primrose Cottage in Roswell, the Georgia Downtown Association and the state Department of Community Affairs presented the Camerons with the Sensitive Rehabilitation/Restoration Award.
Diesel Pizza was one of several buildings from around the state that were nominated, but it was able to make a big impression on the selection committee, said Bill Parrish of the Department of Community Affairs.
“People were pretty excited about the way [the Camerons] were able to preserve the basic integrity of the structure while updating it and creating a lot of life on the street. I mean, it really pops,” he said.
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