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South Boston rooftop bar closes months after opening citing ‘opposition from neighbors’
The restaurant and rooftop bar management announced they were closed “for the foreseeable future.”
A rooftop bar and restaurant inside a South Boston hotel has closed after only a few months of being open, citing residential complaints as the reason for shuttering.
The Essex and its rooftop bar, The Essex Rooftop, announced their sudden closure on Instagram on Tuesday, stating they were closed “for the foreseeable future.”
“Unfortunately we have been unable to obtain an entertainment license from the City due to ongoing opposition from neighbors,” the post read.
MassLive first reported the closure on Wednesday.
The restaurant, which served dishes like pasta and cuts of steak, opened in March at the Cambria Hotel in South Boston. The rooftop, which focused more on elevated bar snacks and cocktails, opened a few months later. The concepts were from Kristin Jenkins, who also owns the restaurant 1928 Beacon Hill.
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Issues with Southie residents started shortly after the restaurant opened, with neighbors expressing opposition to noise from music and events at an April abutter’s meeting. The matter was discussed also at a Boston Entertainment Board meeting that same month, when management sought out a non-live entertainment license in order to play recorded music at the rooftop restaurant.
Management said it wouldn’t include live music or DJs, and the music would be kept at a low volume, but it didn’t stop residents from getting around 200 signatures in opposition of Essex’s application.
Ultimately residents didn’t feel the entertainment options were “appropriate” for their neighborhood, stating there’s a difference between this part of South Boston and the Seaport.
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The opposition also seemed to stem from the last concept in the hotel, Six/West Rooftop, which residents said was noisy and its management was difficult to get in contact with to lodge complaints.
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