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Jacob Wirth Restaurant

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Coordinates: 42°21′04.2″N 71°03′49.8″W / 42.351167°N 71.063833°W / 42.351167; -71.063833
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Jacob Wirth Buildings
Jacob Wirth Restaurant is located in Boston
Jacob Wirth Restaurant
Jacob Wirth Restaurant is located in Massachusetts
Jacob Wirth Restaurant
Jacob Wirth Restaurant is located in the United States
Jacob Wirth Restaurant
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′04.2″N 71°03′49.8″W / 42.351167°N 71.063833°W / 42.351167; -71.063833
Built1844
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleGreek Revival
MPSBoston Theatre MRA
NRHP reference No.80000442 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 9, 1980
Removed from NRHPJune 25, 2024

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 gutted on June 25, 2024 in a large fire.[14]

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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

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References

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  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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