Saturday, August 01, 2015

The Beachcomber in Quincy Is Closing

Last year, we mentioned that a landmark bar and music club by the water was up for sale. Now we have learned that the place will soon be closing forever.

The Boston Globe is reporting that the Beachcomber on Wollaston Beach in Quincy will be shutting its doors in early September, with the building reportedly being torn down to make way for a high-end restaurant. As stated earlier here, the club was put on the market for $1.6 million in January of 2014, though it is not known if that is what the place ultimately went for, nor is it known at this point in time who bought it. Sean McGettrick, who is one of the owners of the Beachcomber, says that it will probably close sometime around September 4.

[August 7 update: An article in The Quincy Sun mentions that the new owners of the high-end restaurant replacing the Beachcomber will retain the Beachcomber name, and that Ward 5 Councillor Kirsten Hughes says "It's great that they want to pay tribute to the club....I know once the proposal is ready we're going to have a full neighborhood meeting to make sure the needs of the neighborhood are met and the history of the space is honored." The post also says that the club plans to close after the weekend of September 4-5 (which is actually Friday and Saturday).]

[August 24 update: According to a Facebook post, the Beachcomber is pushing back its closing date until the end of September, with the place saying that this will "give all the bands that have played here over the years a chance to do One More Time at the club."]

[September 27 update: A new Facebook post from the club indicates that today is the last weekend day for the Beachcomber, though it will be open at least one more time on Wednesday, September 30 (it will be closed on Monday and Tuesday).]

[October 2 update: The Boston Globe is reporting that the Beachcomber will be "going out with a bang" Saturday night, with the Dropkick Murphys playing there that evening. (This has been confirmed by the place.)]

The Beachcomber first opened in 1959, seeing such major acts as Duke Ellington, Linda Ronstadt, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, the Dropkick Murphys, Tiny Tim, and Loretta Lynn over the years, and in more recent times featured local bands and Irish music as well as karaoke. The club changed its name to Nostalgia in the early 1980s but returned to its original name in the late 1990s.

This is just the latest in a string of closing announcements for Boston-area music clubs, as T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge shut down last weekend and Johnny D's in Somerville recently stated that they would be closing early next year.

The address for the soon-to-close Beachcomber is 797 Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy, MA, 02170.

[Earlier Article]
The Beachcomber in Quincy Is Up for Sale

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]