Iconic Boston restaurant Durgin-Park closes doors in Faneuil Hall

Boston's iconic Durgin-Park restaurant in Faneuil Hall closed their doors Saturday after centuries of service.

The restaurant has been a landmark in the area for nearly 200 years, ever since its opening in 1827.

Saturday night, as the legendary spot reached its final hours, many made special trips to spend one last night at the historic restaurant.

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The Stapleton family drove up from New Jersey Saturday morning for one last meal in Boston's second-oldest restaurant, with plenty of family ties over the years.

"As all the stories you’ve heard, my grandparents ate here, my parents ate here, we ate here the night we got engaged," Drew Stapleton said. "This is where we’ve had dinner. It was kind of surreal, but it was pretty cool to be able to sit here pretty close to the same spot we came up. It's pretty neat."

The nearly 200-year-old establishment known for its Yankee fare holds centuries of memories, but one night stands out to the Stapleton's.

"Probably coming here the night we got engaged," Stapleton said. "We came, it was New Year's Eve, the place was packed. We finally found a spot at the bar, had dinner and then watched fireworks behind the aquarium, so it’s a pretty special place."

The restaurant's parent company says declining business and an increase in costs are the reasons for the closure.

Now, the end of an era also means leaving many out of the job.

"A lot of the staffers have been here for 30, 40 years," Lamar Beck of JJ Donovan's Tavern said. "Some that, this was their first job. To see them not have a place of employment anymore is a somber feeling."

The closure made for a tough night for man that shared so much behind the restaurant's doors.

"To make memories like that, is something special," Beck said. "You don’t get that everywhere. It’s definitely a piece of Boston that will be missed."

Many are still holding out hope that another owner can come in and buy Durgin-Park and reopen it, but until then, their doors will remain closed.

Cox Media Group