LONDON WAX MUSEUM
~ Boston, Massachusetts ~
OPENED: April 1966 - CLOSED: Summer 1976
Though I never had the chance to visit the 'London Wax Museum' in Boston it seems to be a museum that influenced an oddly large number of people. It's for this reason that I am sharing the museums guidebook, several postcards, etc from my personal collection.
The Museum was located in the heart of Boston, on the Commons, at 176 Tremont Street and was one of the first American branches of the infamous 'London Wax Museums' that featured Josephine Tussauds Wax Figures. In this museums case, there were nearly 125 figures, in 38 scenes spread over 12,000 sq ft.
Despite being a dramatic source of Americana the Boston Museum appears to not have survived past the United States Bi-Centennial. Though I've been unable to find an official closing date, I do know that the contents were completely sold off on August 17, 1976 (The Guillotine sold for $25 and the Chasity Belt for $145). There were probably several reasons that lead to 'London Wax' closing: Mismanagement (an issue for many a Wax Museum), static displays (this is the age of Walt Disney World and exciting Amusement Parks opening all over the USA) and Boston's own dramatic social and economic problems. Some of the few references to the museum that remain make mention of the homeless panhandlers at the attractions front door and the museums closure was right at the height of Boston's race riots.
The Soiling of Old Glory taken by Stanley Forman for the Boston Herald American, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
Whatever the reasoning for it's untimely departure, Boston's London Wax Museum, with it's eclectic combination of History, Hollywood, Fantasy and Horrors made a lasting impression on a surprisingly large number of people who would become followers of WAXIPEDIA.
Here's a link to a great article from Boston College's The Heights (December 1, 1967)
http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19671201.2.84
The London Wax Museum - Boston- Guidebook, postcards and (most) pictures are from the private collection of Timothy Randall and is apart of the ever growing 'WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES'.
Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in it's development, WAXIPEDIA strives to become the ultimate source of information on the subject of wax museums. Anyone interested in donating items for preservation are invited to contact me at waxipediainternational@gmail.com. Donated items will be cataloged, digitally scanned, photographed, and restored. All donated items will be credited to their specific donors and will be preserved and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans.
The image of 'the Soiling of Old Glory' was taken from https://lindseypetro.wordpress.com
I Remember A Bunch Of The Wax Figures Were Purchased, And A Night Club Called " Dummy's" Featured Them. The Club Was Located On Commonwealth Ave. In Allston. I Remember Being Greeted By Marilyn Monroe & Frank Sinatra, When You Entered. Their Were Several Wax Figures, Throughout The Club. IT Was Such A Hoot.
ReplyDeleteI can remember my Mom taking us there several years & loved this museum. It was such a tradgedy that the museum ended up being vandalized not once, but twice. After the second break-in & too many of the wax figures had been melted with fire, that the museum was forever closed.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy they now have a new Wax Museum in Boston.
I can remember my Mom taking us there several years & loved this museum. It was such a tradgedy that the museum ended up being vandalized not once, but twice. After the second break-in & too many of the wax figures had been melted with fire, that the museum was forever closed.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy they now have a new Wax Museum in Boston.
My mom took me there a few times and I remember being mesmerized by the "Wreck of tbe Hesperus" display. Thank you for sharing This was a fun childhood memory.
ReplyDeleteI can remember going on a school field trip and was amazed by it .
ReplyDeleteThank you for the memories
This museum is a happy childhood memory. I loved seeing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe best time I had there was in early morning, walking by on Tremont when I was 11 and decided to see it. There were no other customers. I was all alone. It was scary but cool.
ReplyDelete