2 Iconic Massachusetts Restaurants Closed for Good After Almost 80 Years

If you are planning on going to Hawthorne By the Sea or Anthony's Pier 4 Cafe in Swampscott, Massachusetts over the holidays, you need to change your plans.  The iconic restaurant has closed for good.

According to an article in patch.com, the Athanas family opened up two restaurants that have become part of the community.  They thanked their repeat, regular customers and they said they were proud to have served several generations of families.

The outpouring of love on their Facebook page has been overwhelming.  Generations of people had nothing but love to give for the family.

My dad worked for Mr Athanas starting in the late 60s during summer breaks from college in West Virginia. After graduation, Mr Athanas gave him his first job and sponsored his work visa. That's how my parents were able to become US citizens. My dad had so many wonderful stories from his time there and always spoke highly of Anthony and his sons. I feel so lucky to have been able to visit two years ago. Thank you for generations of memories.

The Hawthorne property was sold to the Town of Swampscott three years ago for $7 million dollars and stayed open for three more seasons.  The Town has big plans for the downtown property.  There has been much discussion on what to do with the property since it acquired it from the Athanas family, according to swampscottides.org.

There was a public meeting held in August and here's a breakdown of what the results were:

• 25% of the residents that came to the committee meeting wanted the full property preserved as a park
• 28% wanted it to be mostly green space - all except 25%
• 25% were in favor of 50% or more for public parks

Also during the meeting, there was a strong desire for community gathering spots and pedestrian friendly areas.

Don't you wish that some places would just never close?  These two restaurants are a good example of that.  Who knows what is in store for the Town of Swampscott, but it won't be as good as what the two restaurants have given to us by the Athanas family over the years.  Best of luck to the family!