As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, updates are made to this post when we learn additional information. We will continue to expand this post as information becomes available and our readers suggest additions.
Mr. Local History Research Team
Mr. Local History has fallen in love with what history has deemed nothing more than a ripoff of the famous White Castle brand, called White Tower. Now, we know all sorts of burger joints have the term “White” in their name: White Diamond, White Castle, White Rose, and Jersey’s popular White Manna (and White Mana in JC). But we love the White Tower logo, so we’re asking for help. Where in Jersey were White Tower hamburger locations?
White Tower was founded by a father-and-son team, John E. Saxe and Thomas E. Saxe, who started White Tower Hamburgers in Milwaukee in 1926. In 1935, B. Sumner Gruzen of New York produced a curving restaurant in the streamlined Art Moderne style. A Valentine Diner was a prefabricated mail-order small diner produced in Wichita, Kansas, after the Great Depression. These diners could be easily moved with trucks, had curbside services, and contained a small counter typically with seven stools inside for customers.
Others tried designs that combined the flowing lines of Moderne and the ziggurat effects of Art Deco. … Considerable experimentation was still happening in 1937, but by then … the Tower had left the Middle Ages and landed confidently in the “Modern World.”
We’ve located a few New Jersey White Tower Restaurants and published an interactive map below with the closest location. But we need your help.
We need your help finding out if this is all of the White Tower diners in New Jersey. Here are some of the White Tower diners we’ve found. Please reach out to us if there’s an error or duplicate. Town names have changed over time, which has made our researchers go crazy. In 1981, Robert and Rose Toney purchased or leased five South Jersey White Tower restaurants and turned them into Roney’s Restaurants, where they lived out their remaining days. Robert had been a district manager at White Tower before venturing out on his own.
| Paterson #1 White Tower – Openend 1935 – Market St and 2 16th Avenue, Paterson, New Jersey. Also referred to as 2 News Plaza or 2 16th and Park Avenue (All the same White Tower location.) 53rd White Tower? | |
| Elizabeth White Tower – c1939 – Referred to as a roadside shop | |
| Camden Marbett’s (Camden #3) — (1938) 2035 Corner of Admiral Wilson Blvd At Baird Blvd., Camden, New Jersey. (Actually, Pennsauken). Named after a combination of T.E. Saxe’s sisters, Margaret and Betty, used to showcase competition with Camden #2. Marbett’s went to Roney’s Restaurants, Inc. in 1981, and the White Tower remained with Tombrock Corporation in Stamford, CT | |
| Camden Marbett’s (Camden #3) — (1938) 2035 Corner of Admiral Wilson Blvd At Baird Blvd., Camden, New Jersey. (Actually, Pennsauken). Named after a combination of T.E. Saxe’s sisters, Margaret and Betty used to showcase competition with Camden #2. Marbett’s went to Roney’s Restaurants, Inc. in 1981, and the White Tower remained with Tombrock Corporation in Stamford, CT | |
| Camden Marbett’s (Camden #4) — (1938) 2035 Corner of Admiral Wilson Blvd At Baird Blvd., Camden, New Jersey. (Actually, Pennsauken). Named after a combination of T.E. Saxe’s sisters, Margaret and Betty, used to showcase competition with Camden #2. Marbett’s went to Roney’s Restaurants, Inc. in 1981, and the White Tower remained with Tombrock Corporation in Stamford, CT | |
| Camden #5 – Mount Ephraim White Tower (1936)— a former White Tower, had a well-preserved interior with seven stools. It opened around 1946. 2006, it was sold and moved to a private residence in Morgantown, WV. | |
| Camden #6? Mount Ephraim White Tower (Collingswood) – Opened 1946 – Tear Down 2012 – 50 Haddon Avenue and Black Horse Pike, now 50 Haddon Ave, Haddon Township (Collingswood), New Jersey. Converted to a Roney’s after it was sold to Robert and Rose Toney. Closed due to road expansion in 2012. | |
| Camden White Tower – 1947 – North 5th and Market Street, Camden, New Jersey. We’ve seen that there were 8 Camden-numbered White Towers. Which is this one? Trying to verify. | |
| Atlantic City White Tower #1 – Atlantic and South Carolina Ave, Atlantic City, New Jersey – (Found in obituary) | |
| Atlantic City White Tower #2 – 1955 – 1714 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Opened May 1955. The second photo was from 1990. The location is now closed. | |
| Vineland White Tower – East and Landis Avenue, Vineland, New Jersey (Found location in a police report) | |
| Bridgeton White Tower – 1950 – 17 South Pearl Street, Bridgeton, New Jersey |
Made exclusively for the Mr. Local History Project, the “Wear Jersey Local History” collection has added White Tower swag. In all, over 200 designs have been carefully recreated and digitized, partnered with online giant Red Bubble to offer you some great local New Jersey history.
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4 were in Camden. Another one, Marbetts, was also white Tower but was right across the street ( Admiral Wilson Blvd) from another one so they picked a different name. One on Kings Highway in Mt Ephraim My dad, Robert Toney, worked for them all his adult life eventually becoming manager of all towers in south Jersey , and then Philly- when Mr Saxe died, his son closed them, and my dad bought 4 of them in Camden and ran them under the name Roneys.
Eddie Raumman
There was one on Evergreen Ave, just off Rt 45 in Woodbury Heights. It was the first fast food in the area, followed by the Steer Inn south on 45 and the McDonald's across the street.