Warren Tavern is a historic tavern on Pleasant Street in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Established in 1780, it was the first tavern to be built after the British burned Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
The tavern was established by Captain Eliphelet Newell, who named it after his close friend and fellow patriot, General Joseph Warren, after he was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Warren Tavern is a Federal-style building that was reportedly built with wooden beams salvaged from the Charlestown Navy Yard.
It was at this tavern in 1783 that the first Masonic lodge was established in Charlestown, called the King Solomon’s Lodge. The charter was signed by John Warren, Grand Master and brother of General Joseph Warren, and was also signed by Paul Revere.
On January 7, 1784, the tavern held a consecration ceremony for the lodge, which Paul Revere and other notable Masons attended. In 1786, Warren Hall was constructed in the rear of the tavern.
In January 1811, according to a news report in the Boston Patriot, Warren Tavern was “nearly consumed by fire on Monday evening last.” No further information was given.
The tavern operated until 1813, when it was shuttered. The building then became home to a variety of different businesses, such as a bakery, private club, and warehouse.
By the 1960s, the building had been abandoned and boarded up. It eventually became rundown and was scheduled to be demolished around 1970.
Fortunately, it was saved and restored by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 1971 and reopened as the Warren Tavern by its new owners, Alan and Ann Cunha, and Neil and Ed Grennan, in 1972.
On July 2, 1977, a bomb exploded in front of the building, which blew in the front door of the tavern and damaged the interior. Police bomb experts, federal agents, and the arson squad were called in to investigate the case. The lack of evidence and eyewitnesses brought the investigation to a halt, and it remains unsolved to this day.
In May of 1982, news reports stated that the tavern had closed due to financial issues and was on the market for $425,000. The news reports stated that if a buyer wasn’t found, the mortgage would be foreclosed on. Three or four buyers expressed interest in the property at the time, so it assumed one of them bought it, but it is not clear who exactly.
In 2006, Superior Dining Group purchased Warren Tavern, and they still own it today.
Sources:
Bagley, Joseph M. Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them. Brandeis University Press, 2021.
“History.” Warren Tavern, warrentavern.com/history/
“Historic Building Detail: BOS.4628 Warren Tavern.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=BOS.4628
“Paul Revere’s Pub Shuts Its Doors.” UPI, 29 May. 1982, upi.com/Archives/1982/05/29/Paul-Reveres-pub-shuts-its-doors/7932391492800/
“The Warren Tavern in Charlestown.” Columbian Centinel, 17 May. 1809, p. 4.
“The Warren Tavern in Charlestown.” The Boston Patriot, 23 Jan. 1811, p. 2.
“Bomb Damages Boston Tavern.” The New York Times, 3 Jul. 1977, p. 28, nytimes.com/1977/07/03/archives/bomb-damages-boston-tavern.html
“Bomb Damages Historic Tavern.” Spartenberg Weekly Herald and Herald-Journal, 3 Jul. 1977, p. 12.
“Historic Tavern Bombed.” Reading Eagle, 3 Jul. 1977, p. 11.
“Paul Revere’s Pub Shuts Its Doors.” The Telegraph-Herald, 30 May. 1982, p. 22.
“Historic Pub is Closed.” Reading Eagle, 30 May. 1982, p. 9.