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Boston (Mass.). Licensing Board

 Organization

Historical note

The Licensing Board for the City of Boston was established by Chapter 291 of the Acts of 1906. It consists of three members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Council. The Board was created to exercise all the powers and perform all the duties conferred upon the Board of Police of the City of Boston relative to intoxicating liquors (now called alcoholic beverages), innholders, common victuallers, billiard and pool tables, sippio tables, bowling alleys, intelligence offices and picnic groves. The Board grants and regulates various types of alcohol and food licenses for restaurants, nightclubs, private clubs, package stores, hotels, and inns. The Board also issues and regulates licenses for common victuallers (food only), hotels (both with alcohol and without alcohol), bowling alleys, pool tables, lodging houses, dormitories (fraternities which are a category of dormitory licenses) and fortune tellers.

Found in 20 Collections and/or Records:

ABCC License approval forms

 Series
Identifier: 8400.004
Scope and Contents

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission License Approvals are forms that were completed upon approval of various liquor related licenses. Dating from 1961-1962 the forms include the owner's name, name of the business, address, and type of license approved.

Dates: 1961-1962

Dormitory licenses (cancelled)

 Series
Identifier: 8400.009
Dates: circa 1998-2012

Fortune Teller licenses (Cancelled)

 Series
Identifier: 8400.012

License applications

 Series
Identifier: 8400.002
Scope and Contents

Applications for licenses granted by the Boston Licensing Board. Includes applications for variety stores, lodging houses, common victuallers, common victuallers-alcohol, druggists, innholders, retail package stores, clubs, intelligence offices, taverns and entertainment. Arranged alphabetically by name of business within each year.

Dates: 1960-1963

Licensing Board correspondence

 Series
Identifier: 8400.003
Scope and Contents

Outgoing correspondence from the Boston Licensing Board. Includes one letter copy book of correspondence from 1952 February 15-October 8.

Dates: 1952

Licensing Board hearing audiotapes

 Series
Identifier: 8400.023
Scope and Contents

Audiotape recordings of Licensing Board hearings. Tapes are numbered consecutively from #1-1300s.

Dates: circa 1986-1996

Licensing Board hearing index card file

 Series
Identifier: 8400.024
Scope and Contents

Partial index to Licensing Board hearings. Cards are arranged by name of business or owner.

Dates: circa 1950-1986

Licensing Board master record cards

 Series
Identifier: 8400.015
Scope and Contents This series includes two sets of master record cards arranged by address kept by the Boston Licensing Board documenting the alcohol, innkeeper and common victualler licenses issued. The first set covers the years from 1933-1960 and the second set covers the years from 1960-1979. Information for licenses from 1980 on can be found in the Liquor license files (8400.001). The master record cards document year by year the license issued, name of owner/operator and any changes to the...
Dates: 1933-1979

Licensing Board proceedings

 Series
Identifier: 8400.014
Scope and Contents

This series includes the minutes of the Boston Licensing Board from 1907-2015 with gaps. The records from 1906-1993 are in bound volumes and are indexed. The volume for January-June of 1993 is missing. The records from 2002-2015 include agendas, hearing lists and minutes. The records from 2009 are missing. The location or existence of records from 1994-2001 is unknown.

Dates: 1906-2015 with gaps

Liquor license applications (Rejected)

 Series
Identifier: 8400.019

Liquor license files

 Collection
Identifier: 8400.001
Scope and Contents note This series includes 261 cubic feet of records. The liquor license files generally each cover a five year period for an address. The six series are 1980-1985; 1986-1990; 1991-1995; 1996-2000; 2001-2004; and 2005-2009. The two exceptions to the 5 year file are the first series and the fifth series. The first and the third series are filed by type of license and within each type of license alphabetically by street address. The second, fourth, fifth and sixth series are filed alphabetically by...
Dates: 1980-2014

Lodging House licenses (cancelled)

 Series
Identifier: 8400.008
Dates: circa 1980s-1990s

Lodging house master record cards

 Series
Identifier: 8400.017
Scope and Contents

Master record cards of lodging house licenses arranged by address. Includes year, name of licensee, date granted, cancelled, etc.

Dates: 1918-1960

Record of liquor license bonds filed

 Series
Identifier: 8400.005
Scope and Contents

Indexes of liquor license bonds filed with the Boston Licensing Board. Includes name, location, date approved and date filed.

Dates: 1915-1933

Additional filters:

Subject
Licenses 19
Alcoholic beverages 14
Liquor laws 10
Restaurants 5
Bars (drinking establishments) 3