February 24, 2008
History Lesson: The Other Boston Tea Party
This isn’t about a bunch of Colonial revolutionaries dumping tea into the harbor; this is far more significant. It’s about the hallowed grounds of 53 Berkeley Street (also know as 9 Appleton Street).
53 Berkeley Street once housed a Unitarian church, but in 1967, a couple of guys turned it into the Boston Tea Party, creating one of the most important music halls in Rock and Roll history. Based on Boston’s proximity to England, most British Invasion bands played their earliest American gigs at the Tea Party. A good show meant the band could see the rest of America; a bad show sent the boys back to England.
Almost everyone played the legendary hall, including Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, and Fleetwood Mac (back when they were British!) The massively-influential Velvet Underground shot an album cover in front of the marquee, and the equally-influential, but long-forgotten MC5 tore the place up.
In 1969, the club moved to Lansdowne Street, where Avalon made its home. The empty space on Berkeley was converted into apartments, and later sold as condos. Only a small plaque on the side of 7-Eleven hints at the building’s former greatness.
9 Appleton Street, #M-2
$459,000
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ. FT.: 830
$/SQ. FT.: 553
Nester Zimmerman said:
Odd how the storied musical history of a location can be reduced to little more than a sign on the side of a 7-Eleven. Still, I’d like to think current and future residents are doing their part to honor the legacy, casually and quietly rocking out in the comfort of their own homes to please the specters of shows past.
February 25, 2008 2:58 PM
alyk said:
Thanks for responding, Nestor. I think it would strange (in a good way) knowing the Yardbirds, Led Zep, and everyone else played in my living room. Even Rod Stewart and his sweet mullet played the Tea Party.
February 25, 2008 4:52 PM
Kristie said:
I love the thought of living in historic buildings. That one in particular would be super cool!
February 26, 2008 12:34 PM
alyk said:
Hello Kristie. Lots of buildings in older cities get recycled because it’s either more cost effective than starting from scratch or developers want to retain that sense of history. In some places it’s significantly easier to get permits to strip a building to its bare bones and renovate than it is to get a permit to level an old one and start from scratch.
In Boston, many buildings started life as something else, but most new owners can’t brag that Tim Buckley (Jeff Buckley’s father) or Velvet Underground played a gig in the kitchen.
February 26, 2008 1:10 PM
Sasha said:
I wish Rod Stewart’s sweet mullet had played in my apartment. It’s certainly old enough, but not even remotely as close to stylish.
February 26, 2008 3:39 PM
alyk said:
No mullet was sweeter than Rod’s sweet mullet.
February 26, 2008 5:04 PM
lisa said:
funny to think that so many good bands/people actually played their awesome music in Boston.
February 27, 2008 10:24 PM
April said:
That’s part of what I love about Boston. Most of the buildings have great stories behind them.
February 28, 2008 11:33 AM
Ben said:
The Rat was a legendary Boston rock club and I don’t even think there is a single sign marking, except for some graffiti behind where it used to be.
Now it’s Eastern Standard and a Dunkin Donuts. Ah well.
February 28, 2008 5:35 PM
alyk said:
Thanks for visiting, Ben. Mr_Alyk said he’s appalled The Pizza Pad doesn’t have a plaque yet.
February 28, 2008 6:30 PM
Brookie said:
What a gorgeous facade. I’d love to visit that open house.
February 29, 2008 4:07 PM
jill said:
Wow, I had absolutely no idea that had existed!
February 29, 2008 5:37 PM
fooky said:
wow..absolutely amazing… i lived in the south end for 26.2 years. All i know about this building is that it use to be a Christie’s and now its a 7-11.
$459,000, is it for the place or is it for the history, any how i’ll take two, if the walls are autographed
March 1, 2008 12:23 AM
William MacGregor said:
Hi
I am a watercolor artist and recently have been doing paintings of nostalgic places and would like to do one of the Boston Tea Party at 53 Berkley Street in Boston.
A lot of my paintings are places that I went to and the Boston Tea Party was one of them. I remember going there in the late 60’s and saw some awesome groups.
Do you have any idea where there is a picture of the original building? Was there a sign on the building? Any ideas? I vaguely remember that it was on Berkley street and think it was an old church or something like it.
Thanks again! Bill MacGregor
E-mail: bill@junklyardartist.com
Website www.junkyardartist.com
June 23, 2008 8:38 PM