Photo courtesy of the Beachcomber Facebook page
The Patriot Ledger reported yesterday that the 54-year-old Beachcomber in Quincy has been put up for sale. The 1.38-acre property located at 797 Quincy Shore Drive near Wallaston Beach comes with an asking price of $1.6 million, but the newspaper reported something a bit troubling: The lot is zoned “Residential A” by the city, meaning it can be redeveloped for housing units.
That fate seems inevitable for anyone ponying up the coin to purchase the family owned Irish bar that has over the past half-century hosted live performances by acts as varied as Louis Armstrong and the Dropkick Murphys. The venue — a 2,876-square-foot building with outdoor patio — will remain open as it seeks a buyer, and currently features live music and DJ nights on the weekends, as well as karaoke on Wednesday and Irish music on Sunday.
From the Patriot Ledger report:
The Beachcomber booked mostly jazz and country-western acts in its first couple of decades before switching over to rock ’n’ roll in the 1980s. The club was renamed Nostalgia in 1982 and reverted back to the Beachcomber in 1999.
Some of the club’s most famous past acts include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Loretta Lynn, Linda Rondstadt and the Dropkick Murphys. The venue also hosted stand-up comedy, including a set from Andover native and future late night talk-show star Jay Leno.
Jimmy McGettrick and his business partner Fred Crowley bought the club for $25,000 and opened it as the Beachcomber on March 17, 1959. McGettrick bought out Crowley in 1965.
A few years ago the Ledger published this video detailing the Beachcomber’s history. It’s worth a look.