Coolidge Tavern

Coolidge Tavern, corner of Galen and Watertown Streets. Kept by widow Dorothy Coolidge in 1775, demolished in 1918 to provide space for mass-transit car barns. George Washington had tea here but did not like it. In his diary, he wrote "Thursday November 5, 1789: We lodged in this place [Watertown] at the house of Widow Coolidge, near the bridge and a very indifferent one it is." He lodged in the north-west chamber next to the river. This was the first house on the south side of the river at the bridge. The Tavern was managed by Nathaniel Coolidge from 1764 to 1770, and he was succeeded by his wife Dorothy (Whitney). She carried on during the Revolution. The house was probably built between 1740 and 1742 by William Williams, ship-builder. It was a rendezvous for both American and British officers. The bar faced Galen Street. Remodeled in 1840 by John Brigham, it previously had a low hip roof and no ells. Duplicate of figure 2332 line #181 and 6037 (line #305).