GUS VERVARAS

Did you know that Albion once had a Coney Island restaurant? This was a favorite place for people to come and have coffee, and to catch up on the latest news that was happening. The Coney Island was located at 105 W. Porter St. from 1945 to 1964. It was owned and operated by Gus Vervaras (1899-1964).

Gus was a native of Greece, and came to America at the age of 14; he settled in Detroit. Gus was employed in the restaurant business there for three decades. He married his wife, Marie Kleist in Detroit in 1942. In 1945 Gus moved to Albion and opened the Coney Island which he operated until shortly before his death in 1964. That was a total of nearly 50 years in the restaurant business!

Gus was quite an accomplished cook, and gained a favorable reputation through the years. He was a member of the once very prominent Albion Conservation Club. The Club would hold annual banquets, and Gus was the main cook for many years.

From our Historical Notebook this week, we present a photograph of Gus serving up chow at the Albion Conservation Club 1953 annual banquet. From left to right: Dale Nutt, Waldo Johnson who had a gun shop in Adrian, Fred Haeske, Don McAuliffe, and Gus Vervaras. How many of our readers remember Gus Vervaras and the Coney Island in Albion?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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