Union Oyster House
Union Oyster House | |
 Union Oyster House | |
  | |
| Location | 41–43 Union Street, Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°21′41″N 71°3′25″W / 42.36139°N 71.05694°WCoordinates: 42°21′41″N 71°3′25″W / 42.36139°N 71.05694°W |
| Built | pre-1714 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Part of | Blackstone Block Historic District (ID73000315) |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000645[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 27, 2003 |
| Designated NHL | May 27, 2003 |
| Designated CP | May 26, 1973 |
Union Oyster House, open to diners since 1826, is amongst the oldest operating restaurants in the United States of America, and the oldest that has been continuously operating since being opened. The building was listed as a National Historic Landmark on May 27, 2003.
History[]
The building itself was built prior to 1714, most likely in 1704. Before it became a restaurant, Hopestill Capen's dress goods business occupied the property. In 1771 printer Isaiah Thomas published his newspaper, The Massachusetts Spy, from the second floor. The restaurant originally opened as the Atwood & Bacon Oyster House on August 3, 1826.[2]
The Union Oyster House has had a number of famous people in history as diners, including the Kennedy family and Daniel Webster. Webster was known for regularly consuming at least six plates of oysters.[3] Perhaps most surprisingly, in 1796 Louis Philippe, king of France from 1830 to 1848, lived in exile on the second floor.[4] He earned his living by teaching French to young women. Labor economist and president of Haverford College John Royston Coleman worked here incognito as a "salad-and-sandwich man" for a time in the 1970s and documented the experience in his book The Blue Collar Journal.[5]
The menu is traditional New England fare, including seafoods such as oysters, clams, and lobsters, as well as poultry, baked beans, steak and chops.
Image gallery[]
Signage
Union Oyster House, 1945.
First floor plan and details.
See also[]
- List of the oldest restaurants in the United States
- Cuisine of New England
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston
- List of seafood restaurants
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts
References[]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Yee, Vivian, "At Union Oyster House, a Feast of History", Boston Globe, August 3, 2011
- ^ Kerr, Jean; Smith, Spencer (2006). Mystic Seafood. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot. p. 14. ISBN 978-0762741373.
- ^ Theroux, Alexander (December 8, 1985). "Dining Out in Old Boston". The New York Times.
- ^ "Books of The Times". The New York Times. April 4, 1974.
External links[]
- Houses completed in 1704
- National Historic Landmarks in Boston
- Oyster bars
- Restaurants in Boston
- Seafood restaurants in the United States
- Restaurants on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- Houses in Boston
- 1826 establishments in Massachusetts
- American companies established in 1826
- Restaurants established in 1826
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
- Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places in Boston