It was the late 1930s, an era when many popular sandwich shops and various eateries operated throughout Holyoke. The 1939 Holyoke City Directory listed 54 dining spots. This is the story of the Shanty Lunch, which operated along the east side of High Street between Essex and Cabot Streets.
The Shanty first opened for lunch at 466 High Street in 1938. Brothers Norman and Hervey Authier were the proprietors. They resided at 513 High Street, a short distance from their business. The brothers served in the United States Army during World War II. While in the army, Hervey Authier attended the infantry cooks’ and bakers’ school.
Upon their discharge from military school, the brothers purchased the 3-storefront building at 462-468 High Street from the Kramer & Halpern Realty Company. The ground-floor units were occupied by the Shanty Lunch, Parfitt’s Decorating Company, and Mekler Brothers, a hotel supply house. Several social clubs and societies occupied the second floor. The brothers paid $27,000 for the property.
On January 4, 1951, the Shanty Lunch relocated to 450 High Street. For several years in the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, the restaurant operated from 5 A.M. to 2 A.M. The restaurant’s menu included traditional Canadian, French, and Irish specialties. Later, the restaurant remained open until 8 P. M.
In 1955, the brothers purchased the 4-story block at 450 High Street, the location of their restaurant. The building had 27 furnished and unfurnished rooms on its upper floors. A portion of the building was converted into the Shanty Athletic Club. The club was used as a second training site for the Holyoke Boys Club Golden Gloves events.
In June 1974, the restaurant rolled back its hours from 5:30 A.M. to 2 P.M. It was becoming more difficult to retain trained employees; the nighttime customer base created a tense environment for the workers and food prices continued to escalate, resulting in fewer customers.
In 1975, the Shanty was the first in the area to establish a no-smoking area for patrons. On December 18, 1976, a major fire at 446 High Street, the building housing Okee’s Pub, spread to the upper floors of 450 High Street, impacting the Shanty. The building was sold the following year to Haberman’s Hardware, which was looking for room to expand its business.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Google Maps
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, MACRIS, Boston, Massachusetts
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