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Also, nobody west of Worcester knows how to spell 'Bulfinch'
By adamg on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 1:04pm
Although the owners of the Bulfinch Hotel on Merrimac Street have already announced a name change to the Boxer, this being Boston, they need formal approval from the Boston Licensing Board.
At a hearing this morning on the proposed name change, board Chairwoman Nicole Murati Ferrer was dying to know: Why "The Boxer?"
Emily Antonelli, who also needs board approval to become the hotel's new manager, tried to explain:
"I think they were trying to capture the fighting spirit of the independent person in Massachusetts," she said. "It's a little more abstract, not so much a dog."
During the public-comment section of the hearing, nobody spoke against letting the hotel change its d/b/a. The board votes tomorrow on both the name change and letting Antonelli become the new manager.
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Comments
Really?
Aside from the arcane insanity that is needing board approval to change a manager, why does the board need to take two days to complete the hearing and vote? Does Murati need to sleep on earth shattering decisions such as this?
They always do that
They hold hearings on Tuesday (for places charged with doing bad things) and Wednesday (for places seeking licenses) then hold all their votes on Thursday. When there's an absent member, this lets them listen to the tapes of hearings so they can participate in the vote.
But two days is nothing compared to the Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, where director Patricia Malone just takes however long she needs to write really long, almost court-like rulings - we're talking weeks in most cases.
Well,
If the name change is to "Boxer", you didn't expect the decision to be brief, did you?
how often does the TD Garden present boxing these days?
I don't get this name change -- Bulfinch is associated strongly with Boston; boxing really isn't anymore. (Try Brockton instead?)
It's not up to you....
to get the name change. They wanted to change the name, so they did. No everyone has to "get" it.
They can change the name to whatever they want
but how much do people (either locals or tourists) associate that part of town with boxing these days?
They don't
But then, they weren't trying to associate it with boxers per se, or, at least, that was what they were saying today. And who am I to question the decisions of marketing groups?
Not so much a dog...maybe a Simon & Garfunkel song?
The Boxer is a classic song by Simon & Garfunkel, one of my favorites....They probably didnt' name it after that.
This calls for a Boxer Rebellion!
As "The Boxer" is clearly about
New York City, I have to agree with you.
for the record, The Boxer is one of my most favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs as well.
I thought it was about Bob Dylan..
..... in NYC.
I myself noticed 'whores on seventh avenue" as a kid visiting manhattan.
Just call it what it really is...
"the 119"
(its a seedy gay bar that used to reside where the Bulfinch is now)
119 Merrimac
I believe the full name of the gay bar was "119 Merrimac", the address of it's location. If I recall, before it was called 119 Merrimac it was called The Rifleman. Truth be told, it wasn't all that seedy. There was an interesting mix of people in there. Younger, older, upper income, lower income. I'm not sure you would see such a mix today, even if gay bars were still thriving.
And, for what it's worth, "The Boxer" is an absolutely terrible name for a boutique hotel.
Lie la lie!
Now I can't get that song out of my head ...
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
Lie la lie [BOOM]
as it should...
.. recent cover by Mumphord and Sons notwithstanding.
As I recall the dba 119's
As I recall the dba 119's license was in the name "Debbie's" or the like. The Rifleman name was dropped in the late 80's, around the time of a thwarted attempt to turn the building condo.
As to the bar, I always characterized it as the gay bar your mother warned you about.
Yeah, but...
That's only because Mom couldn't possibly have imagined what went on in the bathrooms at Ramrod or
PampersCampus.ya I know
I went there before it was closed.. we (my friends and I) always called it "The 119", but yes you are correct the real name (before it closed) was "The 119 Merrimac".