Strangely, this saddens me greatly…

If you have ever spent time in Boston, especially near the waterfront, you may recall a slightly time worn red building over on Atlantic Avenue. It was always a landmark of mine when I headed into town when I was much younger, especially on trips to the Quincy Market/North End back when it wasn’t as gussied up as it is today.

The James Hook Lobster Company has burned down in a seven alarm fire overnight.

This makes me feel old, for some reason.

Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/05/fire_destroys_l.html

Confession: I’m not much of a fan of the city of Boston. Growing up in the Worcester area gave many of us an automatic chip on our shoulders toward Boston; too often decisions taken in the state capital have hurt the rest of the state (well, more so when I was a kid). A good example was that Worcester, the second largest city in NE until Providence took the title a few years ago, had no direct exit off the Mass Turnpike until 290 was finished some twenty years later and even then it wasn’t all that convenient; that “oversight” was a result of some back room resentments and deals in the Hub back when the Turnpike was first designed.

I always have preferred NYC and when I say to someone “I’m going to the city,” I mean “I’m going to NY.”

(Cambridge ain’t Boston, by the way. Rest easy, Cantab and Lizard colleagues.)

But the James Hook & Co. building? I dunno. It always seemed stubborn, resistant to the waves of change as Boston grew up and around it, a throwback to something that was hard to describe.

I’ll miss it, even if they rebuild it somehow. It’ll never be the same.