Fairmont Copley Plaza - Flipbook - Page 32
1912
GRAND OPENING
Long regarded as a Boston institution, The Copley
Plaza was formally opened on August 8, 1912,
about 16 months after construction of the
building began. Mayor of Boston John F. “Honey
Fitz” Fitzgerald, President Kennedy’s grandfather,
presided over a reception for more than 1,000
guests, including local and national dignitaries,
civic leaders, captains of industry, and stage and
movie stars.
So prestigious was The Copley Plaza’s
opening that rooms had been booked 16 months
in advance.
1930s
During Prohibition, our current restaurant space
was known as the Merry-Go-Round Bar, a lively
gathering place. Patrons celebrated the end of
Prohibition in 1933 at The Copley Plaza’s famous
Merry-Go-Round Bar, which featured a working
merry-go-round. It remained a popular gathering
place through the 1970s. Pieces of the carousel
Track have been preserved in the floor of OAK
Long Bar + Kitchen.
The Oval Room was the scene of the popular tea
dances as well as being “the” place to be for special
events. While painting his murals at the Boston
Public Library, John Singer Sargent, and his patron
Isabella Stewart Gardner, would be seen lunching
in the Oval Room. There was a skating rink in the
Oval Room under the dance floor where Rudy
Valle sang in the 1930s.
INDUSTRY FIRSTS
The Fairmont Copley Plaza is also recognized as
an innovator in the hotel industry. The hotel is
known for these industry firsts: the first completely
air-conditioned hotel in Boston, the first hotel with
an international reservations system, the first hotel
anywhere to accept credit cards, and the first to
offer direct telephone dialing for guests.
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pRESTIGE | FAIRMONT COPLEY PLAzA
BETWEEN 1939 – 1945
During World War II, the hotel’s elevator “boys”
had to be over 65, so younger men were free for
military service.
