By the mid-1920s, several restaurants had operated in the property located at 2-8 Newton Street and 260 Appleton Street. After a hiatus during the late 1920s and 1930s, tavern and later restaurant activity resumed. This is the story of the Rainbow Club, which operated at six different locations in Holyoke over its history.
It appears that the Rainbow Club may have had two iterations: one as a social club during the mid-1920s into the early 1930s, and the second as a more formal club that obtained a liquor license in the mid-1930s and continued to operate thereafter.
A formal incorporation request first appeared for the Rainbow Club Inc. in May 1933. The club, which had a beer garden, was located at 164 Race Street. Later that year, in December 1933, a massive fire destroyed the building and its contents.
In April 1934, the club received authorization to relocate to 16-18 Railroad Street (renamed Heritage Way), where it remained for six months. In October 1934, its license was renewed, and the location was shown as 162 High Street.
In January 1938, the club relocated again to Monument Hall, situated at the southeast corner of Appleton and Race Streets. The formal address was 180-182 Appleton Street. For those with distant memories, this was later the site of one of Holyoke's more popular restaurants, Kelley's Lobster House. The company had leased part of the first floor and the entire second floor banquet hall. Over 200 people attended its grand opening on January 25, 1938.
On September 30, 1934, the club filed for bankruptcy protection, listing about $8,000 in liabilities and $200 in assets. The club survived the bankruptcy filing and continued to operate at the Appleton Street location.
Notably, in 1942, the Holyoke Transcript published an article about Army Corporal Elmer McMahon, who was about to begin Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. It noted that he was a former employee of the Rainbow Club. The elementary school on Homestead Avenue was dedicated in his name.
In 1942, the fifth move for the club brought it to 260 Appleton Street, at the corner of Newton, the former location of William E. Bosworth Sr.'s restaurant, The Spa, in the mid-1920s. The Rainbow Club remained in operation at this location for 27 years.
In 1968, the club undertook the arduous process of applying for a license renewal at a new location, 766-772 Dwight Street. This was a heavily debated process with the Board of Aldermen, and was not resolved until approval was granted in late January 1969. Opponents of a tavern had hoped to see the building used as a library or for other non-alcohol-related uses.
The now Cozy Rainbow Lounge opened at its sixth location on June 17, 1969. There was a partially insured fire that caused $40,000 damage in July 1971.
Ted and Bertha Machnik operated the tavern for over twenty years and sold it to Thomas and Margaret O'Neil in February 1981. The tavern was renamed O'Neil's Rainbow Lounge.
The Rainbow Running Club held a 5-mile Pot of Gold Road Race in the 1980s to raise money for scholarships. The race began and ended at the lounge.
In 1986, the O'Neils sold the lounge to Alex Okraska and John O'Donnell, two long-time Holyoke residents. A year later, John O'Donnell was the sole owner. The club closed after a fire during the 1990s and was subsequently sold in 2001 to the Ministerio Evangelistico Church. Reviewing the Assessors' office online records for fiscal year 2011, the building no longer appears to exist.
As of 2025, the vacant land is owned by Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund, Inc.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
