Nov. 21--DARIEN -- A longtime landmark and piece of Americana soon will be erased as Howard Johnson's Inn and Restaurant on Ledge Road is demolished to make way for a Whole Foods Market.

Since it was built in the 1960s, the 72-room lodge and restaurant with the orange mansard roof was a marker for those driving on Interstate 95. As of Thursday, the tall signpost with its trademark logo was still standing. Demolition began last week.

"People used to identify Darien with Howard Johnson's," said Stephen Kozlowski, 55, who works next door at BMW of Darien.

More than the hotel, it was the restaurant that drew crowds, Kozlowski said.

Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Howard Johnson's was a chain of roadside restaurants known for a traditional American fare of burgers, macaroni and cheese, hash browns and apple pies. There were specialties, too -- clam chowder, which was a nod to the founder's Massachusetts roots, and ice cream, whose distinctive richness came from a recipe that doubled the amount of butterfat.

"It was a fun place with a big ice cream parlor," Kozlowski recalled. "People used to come there for the ice cream."

The hospitality empire began in 1928 as a restaurant named after its creator. By the 1950s, there were 400 restaurants, mostly along major highways. In 1954, after Johnson franchised his first motor lodge in Georgia, the chain became a dual service, offering a pillow and a modestly priced meal for weary and hungry travelers.

In Darien, Howard Johnson's

Inn was the town's only hotel. But as the years went on, the outdated look of the building -- and its diminishing brand -- made it an eyesore for most locals.

"It looked like a seedy hotel," Kozlowski said.

The once communal restaurant closed years ago. It now sits darkened and shuttered up, with a red asbestos warning sign taped on the glass door. The classic cupola that topped off the roof was recently stripped off.

Kozlowski's co-worker, Sebastian Mortenson, works at a desk that looks out at the Howard Johnson's.

For Mortenson, the place was just a reference point for customers.

"I used to say, 'We're right next to the HoJo,'" he said.

Next year, there will be a new marker on the road off Exit 11. The 28-year old Whole Foods chain may not yet have the same iconic status of HoJo's, but the lure is the same.

"Now I got a place within walking distance to get lunch," Mortenson said.

- Staff Writer Elizabeth Kim can be reached at elizabeth.kim@scni.com or 964-2265.

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