Crawford House (Boston, Massachusetts)

The Crawford House was a hotel and restaurant in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Located on Court and Brattle Streets in Scollay Square, it was in operation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and was for a time among the leading hotels in the city. The building was demolished in 1962 as part of the Government Center project.

History

The Crawford House was originally opened in December 1865, as a café on Brattle Street. In 1873 the owners decided to build a new hotel on the premises and undertook a substantial expansion of the building, adding several stories and extending it west to Court Street. The hotel was completed in the following year and opened on March 10, 1874. It was further enlarged around 1886, when it merged with the nearby Carelton House on Hanover Street. Following the merger, the Crawford had a capacity of 450 guests.

In 1926, the portion of the Crawford House facing Court Street was seized by the city via eminent domain in order to widen Cambridge and Court Streets, and the front wall on that side was torn down. As a result, the hotel temporarily closed on April 17, 1926."Old Boston Hotel Ceases to Exist." ''Boston Daily Globe.'' 18 April 1926: p. A17. The remaining part of the building was subsequently taken over by new management and underwent a period of remodeling."Harry Swartz Buys Old Crawford House." ''Boston Daily Globe.'' 17 August 1926: p. 1. The hotel reopened on December 4, at which time the upper floors had approximately 100 guest rooms. The ground floor was occupied by a theater, which opened soon after."New Crawford House Opens Its Doors Tonight." ''Boston Daily Globe.'' 4 December 1926: p. 5.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the Crawford House theater was considered a landmark of Scollay Square; it served as a venue for numerous local dancers, musicians and comedians. It gained particular fame during this period as the home of Sally Keith, a prominent burlesque performer in the city.

The Crawford House hotel was permanently closed after the building was damaged by a fire on March 23, 1948. In January 1950 the third through sixth floors of the hotel were demolished, but the first and second floors were retained and the theater was kept open."Theatrical Bar at Crawford House to Be Continued." ''Boston Daily Globe.'' 18 January 1950: p. 25. The truncated building remained in operation until the early 1960s, when the city cleared the Scollay Square area to make way for the new City Hall Plaza.Yudis, Anthony J. "Scollay Sq. on The Move--I." ''Boston Globe.'' 29 January 1962: p. 9.

References

{{reflist, 2

Images

Image:Scollay's square, parade on Decoration Day, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, Crawford House (upper right), c. 1800s
File:1879 CrawfordHouse BostonBusinessDirectory.png, Crawford House, 1879 advertisement
Image:1896 DockSq Boston map byStadly BPL 12479 detail.png, Map of Boston, showing location of the Crawford House (lower left), 1896
Image:Scollay Square headhouse.png, Crawford House, 1898
Image:Boston Police Strike.jpg, Crawford House (left, with window awnings) during the Boston Police Strike, 1919

External links

Crawford House, 1910
- Shorpy

Photo of Crawford House fire, 1948
- Boston Public Library

Crawford House Theatrical Bar, late 1950s
- MIT Libraries

Demolished buildings and structures in Boston
19th century in Boston
Hotels in Boston
Government Center, Boston
Demolished hotels in the United States
Buildings and structures demolished in 1962