Durgin-Park

Durgin-Park
Faneuil Hall entrance in 2009
Interactive map of Durgin-Park
Restaurant information
EstablishedJuly 4, 1874 (1874-07-04)
ClosedJanuary 12, 2019 (2019-01-12)
Previous owners
  • Ark Restaurants (2007–2019)
  • Kelley family (1972–2007)
  • James Hallett (1945–1977)
  • Chandler family (1874–1944)[a]
Food typeSeafood & roast prime rib
Rating★★★ (Frommer's)
Location340 North Market Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
Coordinates42°21′38″N 71°03′18″W / 42.3605°N 71.0551°W / 42.3605; -71.0551
Seating capacity250 at mostly communal tables
Other locationsLogan International Airport (2013–between 2019 and 2022)

Durgin-Park (/ˈdɜːrɡɪnˌpɑːrk/ DUR-ghin-park) was a restaurant at 340 Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Downtown Boston that was a popular tourist destination within Quincy Market. The restaurant had entrances on both facades (Faneuil Hall and Clinton Street).

The restaurant closed permanently in January 2019. A satellite location at Boston's Logan International Airport remained open but closed before June 2022.

History

1874–1944

Per a summary compiled by the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC), the restaurant was established on July 4, 1874.[2] It was founded by John Girard Chandler (1846–1939) in cooperation with two of his brothers-in-law, John E. Durgin (1839–1892) and Elbridge Glidden Park (1839–1906).[2] The restaurant was managed by Chandler, who added his son, Ernest L. Chandler (1874–1961), to the partnership after the death of Park.[2] The elder Chandler acquired the restaurant's buildings on North Market Street in 1916.[2] Originally known as Durgin, Park & Company, it became Durgin-Park by 1940.[2] The Chandler family retained ownership through 1944, when John Girard Chandler II (a grandson of the founder) died unexpectedly.[2] A contemporary newspaper report noted that he died at age 37 in a ship accident.[3]

The BLC's account of an 1874 founding date is corroborated by other sources, including an advertisement that appeared in a 1919 edition of The Harvard Lampoon.[4] and the 1939 obituary of the elder Chandler.[1] Chandler's obituary noted a gap in his ownership; having sold his interest in 1924 to an unspecified party, he continued as manager, then reacquired ownership in 1930.[1]

Alternate sources, from decades later, suggest a longer history, such as by giving 1827 as the year of establishment.[5][6] Such chronologies contain anachronisms, such as by stating that the restaurant was "purchased by John Durgin, Eldridge Park and John G. Chandler in 1827"[5] (none of them had been born yet) or that the restaurant was "bought in 1840 by John Durgin, Eldridge Park and John G. Chandler"[7] (Durgin and Park would have been infants and Chandler had not yet been born).

Newspaper advertisements for Durgin-Park, and menus used in the restaurant, simply stated that it was "Established before you were born."[8][9]

1945–2019

In 1945, the restaurant was sold to James Hallett, who ran the operation until 1977, enhancing the restaurant's national reputation.[10] The BLC's account notes that the restaurant's real estate was owned by Chandler heirs until 1960.[2]

The restaurant was purchased by the Kelley family in 1972,[11] and sold by them to Ark Restaurants in January 2007.[12]

For a time, Durgin-Park had an additional location at Copley Place in Boston. The original Durgin-Park, as well as the one in Copley Place, was included in an "old Boston" dining review by Alexander Theroux of The New York Times in 1985.[13]

In late summer 2010, Durgin-Park opened a beer garden in their basement bar, "The Hideout".

In December 2017, an episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food—season 6 episode 2—hosted by Casey Webb, included a segment at Durgin-Park.[14]

On January 3, 2019, the CEO of Ark Restaurants announced that Durgin-Park would close on January 12[15] due to the restaurant needing to be more profitable.[16] The restaurant did permanently close on that date.[17] In February 2019, an internet auction was initiated to sell over 200 items from the restaurant.[18]

Logan Airport location

In January 2013, it was announced that Ark Restaurants had licensed a sub-location at Logan International Airport at which Durgin-Park would be offering soups and sandwiches; located in Terminal E, it opened in March 2013.[19] The airport restaurant survived the closure of the Faneuil Hall location, but was no longer listed on the Massport website as of June 2022.[20][21]

Ambiance

In keeping with its long history, the concept of Durgin-Park maintained the tradition of communal seating at long tables. The menu was designed to offer traditional New England–style fare with a concentration on seafoods, chowders, broiled meats and boiled dinners.[22] The service was also a partial hold-over from the time of its founding, as the waitstaff were encouraged to adopt a "surly" attitude and "backtalk" the clientele.[23] Another sign of its heritage was that it only changed head chefs a handful of times in its history.[13]

Honors and awards

  • Durgin-Park in 1956
  • Durgin-Park on North Market Street, c.1960
  • Clinton Street entrance in 2008

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Founder John G. Chandler reportedly had a gap in ownership 1924–1930.[1] Ownership during that period is unclear. Ownership by the Chandler family ended with the death of Chandler's grandson in 1944.[2] Interim ownership until the 1945 purchase by Hallett is unclear.

References

  1. ^ a b c "John G. Chandler, 92, Durgin-Park Head, Dead". The Boston Globe. March 24, 1939. p. 12. Retrieved August 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h North Market Building: Boston Landmarks Commission Study Report (PDF). Boston Landmarks Commission. December 15, 2023. p. 28. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via Boston.gov.
  3. ^ "J. G. Chandler 2d: Durgin-Park Owner Dies in Ship Accident". The Boston Globe. June 28, 1944. p. 13. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Durgin, Park & Company". The Harvard Lampoon. Vol. 77, no. 1. February 7, 1919. p. 4 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b Tremaine, Julie (January 10, 2019). "After 192 Years, Boston's Iconic Durgin-Park Restaurant Serves Its Last Meal". Forbes. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  6. ^ "Durgin Park Restaurant". Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006.
  7. ^ Hammel, Lisa (February 5, 1984). "Fare of the Country; In Search of Real Boston Baked Beans". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Happel, Richard V. (June 9, 1977). "Notes and Footnotes". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. p. 20. Retrieved August 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Durgin-Park (advertisement)". The Boston Globe. November 13, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved August 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "James Hallett, 86; restaurateur made Durgin Park local landmark". The Boston Globe. August 3, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Luongo, C. Paul (June 10, 2008). "America's Oldest Restaurant". From C. Paul Luongo, the Mayor of Copley Square.
  12. ^ Yahoo! Finance (May 13, 2008). "Quarterly Report". Form 10-Q for Ark Restaurants Corp.
  13. ^ a b Theroux, Alexander (December 8, 1985). "Dining Out in Old Boston". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Motta, Elizabeth (August 21, 2017). "It's About Time Man V. Food Picked A Fight With The Durgin Cut". WGBH-TV. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Choe, Jonathan (January 3, 2019). "Historic Boston Restaurant to Serve Last Customer". NECN. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  16. ^ O'Brien, Megan (January 3, 2018). "Faneuil Hall's oldest restaurant to close its doors for good". Boston.com. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  17. ^ Leonardi, Julie (January 12, 2019). "Iconic Boston restaurant Durgin-Park closes doors in Faneuil Hall". WFXT. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  18. ^ Kuschner, Erin (February 12, 2019). "Still mourning the loss of Durgin-Park? Here's how you can own part of its history". Boston.com. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  19. ^ Kagan, Aaron (March 21, 2013). "One of Boston's Oldest Restaurants Now at The Airport". Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  20. ^ @OnlyInBOS (February 21, 2019). "Durgin-Park is still open...at Logan Aiport" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Restaurants". Massport. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "Durgin-Park Menu". Durgin-Park.com. 2008.
  23. ^ "Durgin-Park ★★★: Frommer's Review". Frommer's. 2000–2009.
  24. ^ Harris, Patricia; Lyon, David (March 4, 2012). "Why classics count in New England". The Boston Globe.
  25. ^ "Our History". durginparkrestaurant.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.

Further reading

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