24-Hour Service

24-Hour Service. Switching Places. , From 1946 to 2000, Tastee Diner's 24-hour service could be enjoyed three blocks south at 8516 Georgia Avenue. Designated a Montgomery County Master Plan Historic Preservation site in 1994, this classic Streamline Moderne-style diner was constructed by Jerry O'Mahoney, Inc. of Elizabeth N.J. , A beloved community landmark, Tastee was relocated to 8601 Cameron Street on June 17-18, 2000 to make way for construction of Discovery Communications, Inc's world headquarters. The original diner cap was incorporated into a $2-million project that featured larger dining rooms and outside seating. , Also Providing 24-hour service was the originally-named Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. building, opened in 1942 at 8670 Georgia Avenue. Designed in the Georgian Revival style by Silver Spring architect Ted Englehardt, the building is National Register Eligible., Telephone service came to Silver Spring in 1889, and by 1942 there were 11, 539 telephone subscribers. Upon the building's opening, the February 19, 1942 Silver Spring Standard noted that its equipment was "...of the latest dial type that will have the capacity of about 15,000 lines." The original structure was two stories. As the number of phones in Silver Spring grew so did the floors with five additional stories added during two later construction phase!, Sidebar: Sparkling Spring to Community , Welcome to Historic Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the early 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connection Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street., A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the Spring's site. , Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station, built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid 20th century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. , Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org