Locke-Ober
Encyclopedia
Locke-Ober, located at 3-4 Winter Place, is the third oldest restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts, after the Union Oyster House
(1826) and Durgin-Park (1827). Locke-Ober features French cuisine
and seafood.
Luis Ober was born in 1837 in the French department of Alsace
. At age of fourteen Ober moved to New York, working as a barber, book seller and importing and exporting goods between the U.S. and France. Ober lived and worked in New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia before settling in Boston. Ober was employed at the restaurant then owned and operated by a Mr. Blanc. While in Blanc's employ, Ober became familiar with French food, fine wine and furnishings. By 1875 Ober had acquired ownership and applied to the city for expansion of the restaurant to numbers 3 and 4 Winter Place. Financing was provided by Eben Jordan, a co-founder of the Jordan Marsh Company. The restaurant reopened as Ober's Restaurant Parisien.
Similar to Boston's Parker House
hotel inventing the Parker House roll
and Boston cream pie
, a cocktail, the Ward 8
, was born at Locke-Ober. The story goes that in 1898 a political czar, Martin M. Lomasney
, hoped to capture a seat in the state's legislature, the General Court of Massachusetts. Lomasney was nicknamed the "Boston Mahatma" and had held considerable power in the city for nearly 50 years. The story goes that the drink was created to honor his election, and the city's Ward 8 which historically delivered him a winning margin.
Over the next 20 years the restaurant was expanded and became furnished with increasingly luxurious imported materials typical of the Gilded Age
including Honduran mahogany, French furniture, Italian and French sculpture and paintings, English silver, and Bohemian crystal lighting.
By the end of the late twentieth century Locke-Ober though still possessing most of its original grand trappings had lost much of its luster. Boston restaurateur Lydia Shire, with investor Paul Licari, purchased the space and began a painstaking restoration of the main and private dining rooms on the third floor, and added two more contemporary rooms. Employees of 20 to 30 years service were retained, the menu was kept with added refinements and innovations. Locke-Ober continues as a favorite Boston dining room. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986.
Union Oyster House
Ye Olde Union Oyster House, open to diners since 1826, is the oldest restaurant in the United States of America. It is located at 41-43 Union Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The building was listed as a National Historic Landmark on May 27, 2003....
(1826) and Durgin-Park (1827). Locke-Ober features French cuisine
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
and seafood.
History
The Greek Revival building was constructed in 1832. By 1862 the Boston City Directory lists Adrien Destre as operating a restaurant at 4 Winter Place. By 1868 F.A. Blanc is listed as running the restaurant.By 1879 Boston city records list Luis Ober as the proprietor of a restaurant at number 4 Winter Place of "over twenty year's standing." From the start the restaurant specialized in French food and has been central to the financial, political, and intellectual history of Boston.Luis Ober was born in 1837 in the French department of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. At age of fourteen Ober moved to New York, working as a barber, book seller and importing and exporting goods between the U.S. and France. Ober lived and worked in New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia before settling in Boston. Ober was employed at the restaurant then owned and operated by a Mr. Blanc. While in Blanc's employ, Ober became familiar with French food, fine wine and furnishings. By 1875 Ober had acquired ownership and applied to the city for expansion of the restaurant to numbers 3 and 4 Winter Place. Financing was provided by Eben Jordan, a co-founder of the Jordan Marsh Company. The restaurant reopened as Ober's Restaurant Parisien.
Similar to Boston's Parker House
Omni Parker House
The Omni Parker House is a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Omni Hotels. The name of the hotel derives from the original Parker House, which first opened in 1855. Founder Harvey D. Parker ran the hotel until his death in 1884, when the business passed on to his partners.-19th...
hotel inventing the Parker House roll
Parker House roll
A Parker House roll is a bread roll made by flattening the center of a ball of dough with a rolling pin so that it becomes an oval shape and then folding the oval in half. They are made with milk and are generally quite buttery, soft, and slightly sweet with a crispy shell.They were invented at the...
and Boston cream pie
Boston cream pie
A Boston cream pie is a round cake that is split and filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate. Although it is called a Boston cream pie, it is in fact a cake, and not a pie....
, a cocktail, the Ward 8
Ward 8
The Ward 8 or Ward Eight is a cocktail originating in 1898 in Boston, Massachusetts at the bar of the Gilded Age restaurant Locke-Ober.In 1898 Democratic political czar Martin M. Lomasney hoped to capture a seat in the state's legislature, the General Court of Massachusetts. Lomasney held...
, was born at Locke-Ober. The story goes that in 1898 a political czar, Martin M. Lomasney
Martin Lomasney
Martin Michael Lomasney was a Massachusetts politician. He served as State Senator, State Representative, and Alderman...
, hoped to capture a seat in the state's legislature, the General Court of Massachusetts. Lomasney was nicknamed the "Boston Mahatma" and had held considerable power in the city for nearly 50 years. The story goes that the drink was created to honor his election, and the city's Ward 8 which historically delivered him a winning margin.
Over the next 20 years the restaurant was expanded and became furnished with increasingly luxurious imported materials typical of the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
including Honduran mahogany, French furniture, Italian and French sculpture and paintings, English silver, and Bohemian crystal lighting.
By the end of the late twentieth century Locke-Ober though still possessing most of its original grand trappings had lost much of its luster. Boston restaurateur Lydia Shire, with investor Paul Licari, purchased the space and began a painstaking restoration of the main and private dining rooms on the third floor, and added two more contemporary rooms. Employees of 20 to 30 years service were retained, the menu was kept with added refinements and innovations. Locke-Ober continues as a favorite Boston dining room. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986.