Food News

Four-alarm fire reported at Jacob Wirth building

Jacob Wirth has been closed since 2018 due to another fire, but had plans to reopen this year under new ownership.

By Katelyn Umholtz

June 25, 2024

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A four-alarm fire broke out at the three-story Jacob Wirth building on Stuart Street late Monday night and into early Tuesday morning, the Boston Fire Department said. 

The first report of a fire at the building at 31-37 Stuart St., which has been under construction for over a year now, came just after 11 p.m. Monday from a fire department tweet. Firefighters carried out an “aggressive attack” on the blaze from all directions, including from a nearby parking garage, using ladders, and on street-level. 

“When the firefighters arrived, there was fire on all three floors. It was heavy fire,” Commissioner Paul Burke told NBC 10. “The chief went to a fourth-alarm right away, they went in the building initially to do an internal attack, and they had to pull them out because the fire was so intense.”

At 12:23 a.m., firefighters had knocked down the “heavy fire” but were continuing to chase and monitor hotspots through the early morning hours. 

Under construction, the building was vacant, as was the building to the right of Jacob Wirth, NBC 10 reports. But the building to the left, a 30-story residential building, had to be evacuated.

In a media briefing Tuesday, Burke said there were no injuries, but the blaze had caused about $3 million in damage to the Stuart Street property. 

The nearly 150-year-old Jacob Wirth, a German beer hall that is one of Boston’s oldest restaurants, closed in 2018 because of another fire. 

Then City Realty Group acquired the building in early 2023, promising to bring back a modernized version of Jacob Wirth by Oktoberfest of that year. That target was missed, as was their next date-in-mind of early 2024 ahead of St. Patrick’s Day. The group and its other partners, which include Royale Entertainment Group, told Boston.com last year that they hit unexpected delays, mostly due to the fact that they have to work carefully with a landmark building.

The Stuart Street property was designated a historic landmark in 1975, which means the developers have to get approval for any fix to the public-facing exterior of the building and interior of the bar.

Along with reopening the bar, new ownership also had plans to renovate apartments upstairs.

In a statement from Jamison LaGuardia, vice president of sales and operations of Royale Entertainment and part of the Jacob Wirth Realty Trust, he said the fire was a “devastating blow” to their “nearly-completed renovation efforts.”

“For almost two years, we have passionately worked to restore one of Boston’s most historic and beloved venues, eagerly anticipating the day we could unveil the new Jacob Wirth to the community,” LaGuardia said in an email to Boston.com. “This tragedy is a harsh setback, but in the coming days, we will assess the damage and determine what can be salvaged.”

New ownership said they’re hopeful they can move past this fire and bring back Jacob Wirth for future generations, and also thanked those who have offered support since news of the fire broke.