One of the Oldest Gay Bars in Massachusetts Is Closing

Fran’s Place, among the oldest gay bars in Massachusetts, will close in a week. The bar and restaurant has been around for decades, but after Monday, September 26, it will be a memory, as the business is getting sold, NECN reported.

The bar’s general manager, Robert Muise, who worked at Fran’s Place for 34 years, told NECN that the bar has long been a gathering place for the LGBTQ community. The business has been in owner Jay Collins' family since the 1920s, when it opened as a tavern at another location before moving to the current location as Lighthouse Cafe in the 1940s and ultimately Fran's Place in the '70s, ItemLive reported.

Fran’s was reportedly the first bar to start a fundraiser for AIDS research, the first to enter a float in Boston's gay pride parade, and one of the first in the state to host gay weddings. The bar also sent money to the Orlando nightclub Pulse after a mass shooting in June.

The sale of the property will likely be completed by the end of the month, and the bar is planning a goodbye party for September 24.

Update 9/19, 9 a.m.: This story has been updated to reflect that Fran's is one of several bars that also claim to be the oldest gay bar in the state, and at this time, we're unable to verify which is actually oldest.

• 'Lot of Memories': Oldest Gay Bar in Massachusetts Closing [NECN]
• Lynn Icon For Sale [ItemLive]
• Fran’s Place [Facebook]