137-Year-Old Locke-Ober Closes

Locke-Ober's clubby dining room

By Naomi Kooker

Locke-Ober, the legendary American Continental dining institution in Downtown Crossing, shut its doors over the weekend, according to Boston.com. The sign that was up on the restaurant's front door said it's "currently closed for business, pending Locke-Ober’s sale of its buildings located at Winter Place."



Celebrity chef Lydia Shire and business partner Paul Licari bought the restaurant in 2001 and did an extensive renovation to revive it. The restaurant is owned by David Ray, a previous owner, who took back the restaurant in 2011.

Boston.com cited luminaries such as John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, and Bill Clinton, and stars including Paul Newman, James Cagney and Jackie Gleason as having dined at the austere restaurant over the years.