Restaurant Week continues at the Phoenix Restaurant, another mid-20th-century downtown eatery that spans 4 decades, reaching into the mid-1940s. The restaurant was aptly named, as it was located in the Phoenix Building at the southwest corner of Maple and Dwight Streets.
The Phoenix Restaurant, originally named the Phoenix Dairy Lunch, opened in October, 1912. The owner was E. L. Lyman, who owned a successful meat and grocery store on Dwight Street. When the Phoenix Building was constructed, he converted his business interest to operating a restaurant and a bakery in the new building.
The new restaurant’s furnishings were modern for their day, with meals served at oak tables rather than entirely at the counter on lunchroom chairs. The restaurant featured a long white marble countertop for those preferring to sit on stools.
By 1913, the business was called the Phoenix Lunch Room or Phoenix Lunch. The restaurant was well regarded, in part due to its cook, Nellie Boland, who was known throughout the city for her cooking skills.
In 1918, E. L. Lyman expanded the restaurant and bakery when the Women’s Style Shop at 596 Dwight Street vacated the premises.
In June 1920, E. L. Lyman sold the concern to John Healy and Timothy Hurley. The business name was changed to the Phoenix Lunch and Bakery. Within two months of the purchase, the partnership was dissolved when Mr. Hurley retired.
The business was sold to Douglas Petersen in 1924. The business closed for two weeks to allow for a $5,000 renovation. Mr. Petersen operated the restaurant and bakery for 11 years. In November 1935, he sold the business to Joseph J. Barbiaz, who renamed it the Phoenix Restaurant. The restaurant then went through a succession of owners, including Noiel R. Brill in 1938, M. J. Swinkoski in 1939 - 1943, and Manuel Lazopulos in 1944. For a brief time in late 1937, the business was renamed the Park Cafeteria.
On July 31, 1945, the Phoenix Restaurant closed and underwent extensive renovations. It reopened on September 29, 1945, and within weeks was sold to Peter Cannone of Holyoke and Frank Delmonte of Chicopee. For a short time, it continued with the Phoenix Restaurant name at its longtime 596 Dwight Street location.
The story continues with Mr. Del Monte and Mr. Cannone in the next chapter of this series.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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