I really, really believed in this place. Boston’s Durgin-Park restaurant offered up an unwavering sense of place for generations of loyal-to-the-core New Englanders. Like ancient bedrock, this restaurant was always there, the line was always long, and the sights and smells that hit you upon entering was the stuff of legend. When in Boston, I couldn’t wait to get there. Once seated, it felt like a journey’s end with life’s weight magically lifted. For me, life couldn’t get any better.

Sadly (heartbreakingly), Durgin-Park, which opened in 1827 when John Quincy Adams was president, served its last meals on Jan. 12, 2019, after 192 years of continuous operation. That’s nearly two centuries! In the same location! A damn good run of it I’d say. “Established before you were born,” the signs read.

Throughout the years, the workshop has made a few signs to commemorate this place, one of which hangs in our home.

Goodbye Durgin-Park, MassLive news story