Late restaurateur Ken Kelly turned ‘buildings into monuments’ in Union Square
A look at what’s next for Kelly’s restaurants and how family and friends plan to honor his legacy.
Ken Kelly, center, with family, friends, and Somerville officials after receiving the Somerville Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2014.
You may not know the name Ken Kelly, but if you live in Somerville, chances are you’ve eaten — or had a drink — at one of his restaurants.
He founded and owned five of Somerville’s more popular eateries: The Independent, Brass Union, Foundry on Elm, Saloon, and River Bar. Kelly, a former member of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, was also a major leader in the transformation of Union Square.
He died on December 23 after an almost three-year battle with esophageal cancer. He was 44.
“I was always amazed at how he could see beyond what was in front of him,’’ Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said. “He was a true visionary who saw potential in Union Square when no one else gave it the time of day. I think what is happening in Union Square wouldn’t have happened without Ken.’’
The neighborhood’s living room
Kelly was raised on a farm and went to college in Ireland before immigrating to America with his childhood friend Conor Brennan in 1988. He bounced between New York, North Carolina, and Florida, building his telecommunications company, Vital Site Services, before settling down in Somerville in 1992.
Kelly, right, with Conor Brennan, center, in New Jersey.
Over a pint of beer at Tip Na Nog, the friends’ favorite Irish pub, Kelly and Brennan decided to try their hands at opening a bar, giving PJ Ryan’s life in 1999 and, later, The Independent in 2001.
Many thought the pair was crazy when they decided to open The Independent in Union Square, literally on swamp land. The construction project took almost two years.
Kelly’s younger brother, Alan, a construction worker, flew in from New York to help install windows and doors. He ended up staying in the area and leading the rest of Kelly’s construction projects.
“We bounced off each other often—we’re both really hard headed—but there was also lots of problem solving,’’ Alan said.
Now, Alan said he hopes to honor his brother by one day opening his own pub.
Building The Independent took almost two years.
Success did not come easy in Kelly’s restaurant endeavors. Kelly’s wife, Kim, told Boston.com that when she first met Kelly in 2005, The Independent “was losing a lot of money.’’
Curtatone said Kelly was persistent, believing in the neighborhood, which ultimately led to his success years later.
“I remember going into The Independent in 2008 and he came up to me to say, ‘What’s up,’ and I asked him how he was,’’ Curtatone said. “He said to me, ‘Well, this is the first time in years I haven’t had to keep this place open with money out of my own pocket, so it’s great!’ He had finally figured it out, and he knew exactly how to pull it off for future projects.’’
“He wasn’t just investing in a business model,’’ Curtatone added, “he was investing in a community, a place, making buildings into monuments, and his legacy carries forth.’’
Mimi Graney, executive director of Union Square Main Streets from 2004 to 2014, said Kelly’s investment signaled to others to “get on board’’ with the area.
“The Independent really became the neighborhood’s living room,’’ Graney said.
Kelly decided to “double down’’ and open the nightclub Precinct, which is now Brass Union. Jess Willis, the chief operating officer of Kelly’s five restaurants and a 15-year employee, said Kelly was always moving forward, “looking to make things better and grow things.’’
“With his restaurants, I always viewed Ken as playing the role of a producer, which is why he was able to grow and run so many restaurants at once,’’ she said. “He built the framework, and created teams to work together, let creative people be creative, and giving ambitious people the space to grow. … He was good at motivating without being involved in the everyday nitty gritty. He was trustworthy and trusting.’’
Kim said her husband was loyal and expected loyalty back.
“I just remember during a renovation project, a construction guy who wasn’t part of Ken’s brother’s crew came up to me and said, ‘Your husband is old school, from back in the day when men were men and things went down on a handshake,’’’ she said.
His love of real estate and renovation led to more restaurants, branching out into new neighborhoods like Davis Square with the restaurants Foundry on Elm and Saloon. In 2013, his family was also expanding: Kim was 9-months pregnant with their second child. Two weeks before the birth, Kelly was diagnosed with cancer.
“During treatment, unbeknownst to me, he started River Bar,’’ Kim said. “But he couldn’t help it. He truly loved renovating and building out.’’
Kelly’s restaurants will stay open and continue to serve the Somerville community with Kim as the CEO, Willis as the COO, and Pam Vandal as chief financial officer. Kim said there are no plans to start up any more restaurants. She said the team is focusing on getting the already established businesses running efficiently and effectively.
“He was the visionary, big picture guy,’’ she said. “I am sure he would have opened two more restaurants by now if he could have. But for now I am trying to get the ins and outs of the business, and get up to speed.’’
Investing in a community
While serving on the chamber’s board, Graney described Kelly as a key voice in revitalization plans for the city who stressed initiatives that would benefit more than his own business.
“There was a collegiality he brought to his work,’’ she said. “Union Square is a little village where people walk down the street and everyone knows each other through various levels, all multilayered, but that act of getting to know each other—I think he fostered that.’’
Damon Leibert, a musician, employee, and longtime friend, said Kelly was also committed to the arts community. He bought The Davis Square Theatre, now run by Leibert, in order to provide affordable space for small theater companies and the arts community to practice their craft.
Because of his efforts to maintain and spread the “flavor of Somerville,’’ the chamber named Kelly the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement award in 2014.
[fragment number=0]
Curtatone said the city is planning an official dedication for Kelly and is in the process of finalizing the details with Kelly’s family.
‘There is only one Ken Kelly’
Brennan and Alan will honor Kelly by participating in the Pan-Mass Challenge this year. This will be Brennan’s eigth ride.
“I lost a brother,’’ Brennan said. “It’s always an emotional ride for me, but this year will be even more so. There will be tears and there will be laughter. We always had a laugh regardless how hard things got.’’
“And he always got a kick out of me in my spandex,’’ he added with a laugh.
Others said they will honor Kelly by remembering the community he built in Somerville: in each business he mentored, each friendship he fostered, and each establishment he founded—especially his flagship restaurant, The Independent.
“Every day, from the way [The Independent] smells the first time you turn on the heat, when a song plays, just everything brings me back to that place and back to Ken,’’ Willis said.
Kim said that the restaurant was a symbol of perseverance for her husband.
“He said to me, ‘If you ever get to a point where you have to sell something, don’t sell the Indo,’’’ she said. “He wanted his kids to be able to come and see the brick-and-mortar to know what Daddy accomplished. It does make it hard to go in, but I’m hoping it will get easier over time.’’
Kelly with his children, Michael and Samantha, in Martha’s Vineyard.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com