A nearly full-size recreation of Van Eileen, the distinctive American-style drive-in restaurant that once stood on Marine Parade in Cottesloe, will be installed near the original site as part of Sculpture by the Sea.

Van Eileen opened on Marine Parade in 1949 as Perth's car culture began to grow. The late-night roadside diner became a popular stop for Cottesloe locals, beachgoers and beer drinkers from nearby pubs, and was known for its burgers, including the Kitchen Sink and the Triffids.

Artist and sculptor Tim Haynes created the tribute after coming across a photograph of Van Eileen while living in New York during the COVID lockdowns. He said the diner had become part of Cottesloe's identity and was surprised by the number of memories shared after he began researching the project.

Haynes had no original plans for the building and instead calculated the proportions from old POST photographs, including the height of customers in relation to the serving hatch. The sculpture was designed to withstand winds of up to 150km/h and has been constructed from aluminium with a solid frame. Although nearly full-size, it is not intended to operate as a restaurant.

Van Eileen was named after returned soldier Eileen Bower. As Perth's car culture expanded, other American-style roadside diners appeared, including Bower's Kitchen in Guildford, Alfred's Kitchen in Guildford, Bright Spot in South Perth and later Captain Munchies in Fremantle.

The original Van Eileen was demolished in May 1967 as part of a council effort to improve the beachfront, with food reportedly still left in the refrigerator when it was pulled down. It was subsequently rebuilt, but suffered threats of closure during the 1980s and 1990s before finally closing in 1997. The building was demolished in 1998.

The Van Eileen sculpture is due to remain at Cottesloe for Sculpture by the Sea before potentially being moved elsewhere.