Dulichium Arundinaceum

by | Apr 10, 2018 | Dulichium Arundinaceum

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The Jacob Wirth Restaurant was a historic German-American restaurant and bar in Boston, Massachusetts, at 31-39 Stuart Street. Founded in 1868, Jacob Wirth was the second-oldest continuously operated restaurant in Boston when it closed in 2018.[2]

The Greek Revival building housing the restaurant was constructed in 1844. The German-style restaurant was founded in 1868 and was the second oldest continuously operating restaurant in the city after the Union Oyster House.[3] The restaurant was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980[1] and designated a Boston Landmark in 1977, with interior and exterior protections.[4] Jacob Wirth was the first distributor of Anheuser Busch products.[citation needed] The Wirth family and Anheuser family are from the same small town in Germany.[citation needed]

In 2010, Chelsea developer AJ Simboli Real Estate purchased the property for $1.6 million.[5] The restaurant was put up for sale in January 2018[2] after having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,[6] and closed following a fire in June of that year.[7][8] As recently as October 2021 there was a restoration effort under way to repair fire damage and reopen the restaurant as it had been prior to its closure.[9]

In March 2022, the building was purchased by Greater Boston Bar Co. for $5.27 million.[10] Their initial hope was to reopen the restaurant by the end of 2022.[11][12] The new owners planned to reopen the restaurant in early 2024.[13] The building was badly damaged on June 25, 2024 in a large fire.[14]

Popular culture

In George V. Higgins's 1974 novel Cogan's Trade, a meeting takes place at the restaurant.[15]

A wedding scene for the 2010 film Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, was filmed at the restaurant.[16]

In Dennis Lehane's 2023 novel, Small Mercies, two characters have a date in Jacob Wirths.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Cain, Jacqueline (January 17, 2018). "Iconic Theater District Beer Hall Jacob Wirth Is for Sale It's the second-oldest continually operating restaurant in Boston". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  3. ^ "A True Boston Classic". Jacob Wirth Restaurant. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  4. ^ "Report of the Boston Landmarks Commission on the Potential Designation of THE JACOB WIRTH BUILDINGS as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975" (PDF). Boston Landmarks Commission. The City of Boston. 30 November 1977. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  5. ^ Grillo, Thomas (November 5, 2010). "Developer buys Jacob Wirth, vows to preserve restaurant". Boston Herald.
  6. ^ McDonald, Danny (January 18, 2018). "Historic Jacob Wirth Co. restaurant up for sale". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. ^ Harrington, Keith (10 June 2018). "Historic Restaurant Shut Down Following Fire". NECN. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  8. ^ Stendahl, Max (21 August 2018). "Jacob Wirth, billed as Boston's second-oldest restaurant, is being sued for eviction". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  9. ^ "As one historic restaurant might be on verge of re-opening, another might be closing forever". Universal Hub. Boston. October 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "Jacob Wirth eyes reopening by finish of yr". newsNCR. March 18, 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Jacob Wirth eyes reopening by end of year". Boston Herald. March 17, 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Investors who buy up dives and their buildings buy the old Jacob Wirth building". Universal Hub. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  13. ^ "Jacob Wirth is coming back (with nicer bathrooms)". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  14. ^ Palumbo • •, Alysha (2024-06-25). "Fire damages historic Boston building once home to Jacob Wirth Restaurant". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  15. ^ Burr, Ty (November 29, 2012). "'Killing Them Softly' cast stands out". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012.
  16. ^ Baltrusis, Sam (October 22, 2009). "Tom Cruise's Knight & Day filming at Jacob Wirth". Loaded Gun Boston. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.

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