Emerson College's Paramount Center

[Ron Newman]

No, the hotel was never moved.

[stellarfun]

I have a very dim recollection of a big fire there (maybe in the 70's?) that gutted the building.

[CDubs]

Originally Posted by stellarfun

I have a very dim recollection of a big fire there (maybe in the 70's?) that gutted the building.

Very close! It was on February 27, 1982, by which time the Avery Hotel had become a rooming house (info from http://www.bostonfirehistory.org/bfdfires.html).

[Boston02124]

I used to party with all the homeless kids who lived in that building when it was vacant,boy I must of had some balls back then can't imagine doing that now lol!

[Beton Brut]

Originally Posted by Ron Newman

I'm curious what sort of stores KARP and SALLINGERS were.

Ron -- I don't recall Karp, but Sallingers was fine men's clothing. The store and the building were owned by an old family friend who also lived in East Boston.

[Ron Newman]

According to the Globe archives, the Hotel Avery never reopened after the 1982 fire. Citicorp tore it down in 1991 after taking over the failed Commonwealth Center project's mortgage from Haymarket Cooperative Bank. The site became (controversially) a parking lot until Millennium Partners eventually arrived with their project.

The city and the Downtown Crossing Association at the time felt the land would be more marketable to a future developer as a vacant lot rather than with empty derelict buildings on it. They may have been correct.

[Bubbybu]

I saw a display today in the parking lot across the street from the theater...it looked like a giant window mock up for a building...anyone know what this is?

[BostonUrbEx]

[czsz]

Gettin there...