Kullman Building Corporation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing, Prefabricated buildings |
| Founded | 1927 in Newark, New Jersey, United States |
| Fate | Bankruptcy restructuring in 2011; intellectual property acquired by XSite Modular |
| Headquarters | Lebanon, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | United States, Germany, West Africa |
| Products | Diners, prefabricated structures (housing units, dormitories, correctional facilities, educational buildings, banking institutions, modular buildings for cellular communications) |
Kullman Dining Car Company, established in Newark, New Jersey in 1927, originally focused on the production of diners. Over time, it transformed into Kullman Building Corporation, moving its operations to Avenel and later to Clinton Township, while maintaining corporate headquarters in Lebanon. The company broadened its offerings to include prefabricated structures such as housing units, dormitories, correctional facilities, educational buildings, banking institutions, and modular buildings for cellular communications. A significant achievement was the construction of the first prefabricated U.S. Embassy located in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.
As a pioneer in the sector, Kullman incorporated innovative materials like stainless steel and formica into its designs and adapted diner manufacturing techniques to a wider range of construction projects. The firm is recognized for coining the phrase accelerated construction to describe its streamlined building processes.
Following a bankruptcy restructuring, Kullman Industries discontinued operations in 2011. Afterwards, XSite Modular—formed by former executives of Kullman—purchased all intellectual property assets of Kullman at auction and continues to uphold elements of the original business.
Diners
Several diners constructed by the company are still functioning across New Jersey. These include the Tick Tock Diner located in Clifton, New Jersey, the Menlo Park Diner in Edison, Little Falls Diner in Little Falls, China 46 in Ridgefield, White Rose System diner situated in Roselle, and USA Country Diner based in Windsor.
Among historically significant diners are Poirier's Diner, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island; the Munson Diner, which was originally located in Manhattan before being relocated to Liberty, New York in 2005 and subsequently added to the NRHP in 2006; as well as Sam's Diner in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, which earned National Register status in 1999.
The company maintained its innovative streak into the early 2000s by introducing new diner models that honored its legacy. One example is the Blue Comet, a design inspired by the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s passenger train that operated between 1929 and 1941.
Embassies
In 1994, Kullman diversified its operations by fabricating a U.S. embassy building at its Avenel facility and transporting it overseas to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. This marked the first instance of an American embassy being constructed domestically and assembled abroad. Later embassy projects included buildings in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. These initiatives utilized American staff with security clearances to reduce risks associated with construction conducted on foreign soil.
Germany
In 1997, Kullman launched a franchise named Sam Kullman's Diner within Germany. This enterprise introduced authentic American-style diners manufactured by Kullman to several German cities such as Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Ludwigsburg, and Regensburg, thereby extending the company’s international reach and market presence.