In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Fiddlebee's, Hyannis

 

    It came in with a big splash, faded away and returned again. It made its mark in a 19^th century home yet was firmly developed on late-20th century ideas. It spread its wings but they were quickly clipped. This is the briefly spectacular, complicated, and somewhat odd history of the Fiddlebee’s restaurants and night spots.

    The story of Fiddlebee’s actually started back in the late 19^th century. It was in 1880 that a Victorian house was built on North Street in Hyannis. Back then Hyannis was not the business hub of Cape Cod and Main Street and the streets surrounding it all were dotted with traditional residential homes. At the turn of the 20^th century the town’s population was a mere 4,364, a drop in the bucket to the estimated 44,406 of 2019.

Ralph Tryon's North Lodge(Cape Cod Community College)

    As the 20^th century moved along times changed. More and more businesses moved into the area around Main Street. Around the middle of the century the Victorian home on North Street became a spot called the North Lodge. This small guest house was owned by Ralph Tryon and spoke to Hyannis’ slow change from residential neighborhood to bustling business center. It was relatively successful from the 1950’s into the mid-1970’s, even coming back from a fire in May 1970.

    After closing in 1976 the old Victorian house was primed to be razed. It seemed its only value left was the parking lot which several nearby businesses rented out in 1977. The entire property at 72 North Street was sold in 1978 for $35,000($146,500 in 2021) to be converted into a restaurant. However there are no records showing that this spot ever materialized. It took a man named Harry B. Miller to come along in 1981 and create a new chapter for the Victorian house.

    The new restaurant was named Fiddlebee’s. Opening in time for the summer of 1981 it promoted itself as having Al Fresco dining with an outdoor seating area large enough for fifty people. The interior of the Victorian house was also renovated adorned with lots of hanging plants and filled with friendly people.

    Fiddlebee’s staked its claim as a family-friendly restaurant with a casual atmosphere. There were daily specials, soups, quiche of the day, fondue, crepes, and sandwiches along with a traditional dinner menu. Although there was a 14-foot bar and cocktail area it wasn’t until its second season that Fiddlebee’s began to lean into the sale of liquor.

    This slow change began on February 16, 1982 with a charitable event for the March of Dimes. It was on this date that Fiddlebee’s attempted to concoct the world’s largest cocktail. Fittingly it was to be a Cape Codder. The drink was so large that it had to be stirred with an oar from the second floor of the building. It is unknown how much money the event raised for the March of Dimes.

    It was around this time that Fiddlebee’s got a new owner, William Planinshek. It was also around this time that Fiddlebee’s became so popular that it was seen as a calculated risk to branch out. In March 1983 the Buttermilk Bay Motel in Buzzards Bay was purchased and converted into a second Fiddlebee’s. This new location did not siphon any business from the original though. In fact it continued to grow.

    The popularity of Fiddlebee’s began to become problematic due to the finite number of parking spaces. Complaints came in June 1984 when patrons of the establishment began parking in the neighboring condominium complex and even blocking the fire lanes. Although not the fault completely of the management it was not a good time to also be looking to created an outdoor patio on the second floor of Fiddlebee’s.

    1985 saw more change and expansion. In April 1985 the company took over the venerable Golden Anchor restaurant in West Dennis. This became the third Fiddlebee’s known as Fiddlebee’s Seafood Shanty. During the summer the Hyannis location was approved to have live entertainment and a dance floor. Despite the parking issues the changes were approved as Fiddlebee’s had otherwise been model citizens. It was also during this time that three Fiddlebee’s employees left to start their own barbecue family restaurant on Main Street Hyannis called Harry’s.

    Although they began leaning heavily into the bar and night spot atmosphere of Fiddlebee’s they did not lose sight of where they came from. They maintained a connection to the restaurant aspect with a kids menu, apps, seafood, steaks, pizza, and the ever-popular Fiddleburgers. However just as they hit their stride as both family-friendly and a happening night spot things changed.

A Fiddlebee's Ad from 1985

    As 1985 turned to 1986 Fiddlebee’s changed its name to Anthony’s Restaurant, serving Italian food. Then in May 1986 the West Dennis Fiddlebee’s also became Anthony’s, owned by Anthony Scialdone. Within four months of its changes the Hyannis location had become Willy’s Northside Cafe, named for owner William Planinshek. This did not stick either. In a fascinating turn of events Fiddlebee’s was reborn in April 1987. This second act was far different though.

    They still had their traditional lunch and dinner fare but the entertainment became the main selling point. Some of the most well known local performers came to play there including the Incredible Casuals, Jeff Lowe Band, The Natives, and Freddie and the Maybellines. Early in 1989 Fiddlebee’s got their biggest brush with fame when legendary singer and television personality Tiny Tim performed there twice.

    The 1990’s brought different attempts to increase business including 18+ nights and heavy metal music. It succeeded in getting more people in the door, however these changes brought a whole new set of problems. Whether it was a younger crowd, the different music, or just overcrowding of the property itself, Fiddlebee’s saw an increase in violence and thus an increase in police presence.

    It came to a head in 1993 with an increasing number of reports of fights including a stabbing in the parking lot across the street. However this was not strictly a Fiddlebee’s problem. Other Hyannis night spots were under increasing scrutiny as the summer of 1993 began. Fiddlebee’s did its part to cooperate with town officials and local police by eliminating the 18+ nights and toning down their musical choices. They tried to give the establishment a more laid back feel.

The former site of Fiddlebee's(Google Maps)

    The efforts seemed to work as 4^th of July passed with no incidents. Surprisingly it was the restaurant branch, which they had been minimizing in recent years, that got them in trouble. During a routine health inspection several major violations were noted and Fiddlebee’s was closed pending their rectification. The doors closed on August 6, 1993 and they never reopened. It was an abrupt ending to a popular Hyannis establishment.

    In the years since the Victorian house has seen its share of businesses come and go. There was The Boat House, Kendrick’s, The Steak House & Sports Bar, and today it is home to Portside Tavern. Despite decades of being used as a guest house and various restaurants the one thing that hasn’t changed is the Victorian house. It may get renovated, re-shingled, and repainted, but overall it still remains the same. The property at 72 North Street has kept one foot in its past while adapting to the future. Fiddlebee’s for all of its fleeting popularity was just another chapter in the story of the old Victorian house.

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Previous Blog Posts:

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Lawrence's Sandwich Depot, Falmouth

In Their Footsteps: New England History - Henry & Elsie Baumann

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

Zazzle Store: Cape Cod Living

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Mill Hill Club, West Yarmouth

     Though there have been countless hundreds of nightclubs, bars, and other forms of nightlife on Cape Cod since as far back as the late 17^th century, very few locations have reached the iconic heights of the Mill Hill Club. Born out of a restaurant which debuted in the mid-1920’s, and standing atop Mill Hill for more than five decades, this was more than a bar, more than a nightclub, this was a destination, a landmark, it was an institution.

     
    The history of the Mill Hill Club must be traced back to its predecessor. Nearly thirty years before the king of Cape Cod entertainment would open another business sat atop the hill overlooking what is today known as Route 28. In the summer of 1924 a restaurant would open its doors. It was called Old Mill Tavern and it would carve out its own niche.

     Old Mill Tavern was owned by Rose Klous, who based her restaurant on the idea of ‘traditional Southern cooking.’ This was further stressed by the fact that advertisements from the day would proudly trumpet the fact that they had a real ‘Southern Mammy’ cooking the meals such as chicken and waffles. The 1600-square-foot establishment came complete with a 12-foot piazza and enticed passers-by in a time when automobiles were very much still a luxury. Klous would eventually sell Old Mill Tavern to Henry Fern who would run the restaurant up until his death in 1941. His death, and the outbreak of World War II, effectively ended the tenure of the establishment and it would in turn lay dormant for the most of the 1940’s.

     In 1948 the most famous resident of Mill Hill would take root in the former restaurant building and Cape Cod would be forever changed.

     In the beginning the Mill Hill Club was far different from how it would be viewed during its heyday. It was originally owned by Harold Smith, whose son Jack Braginton-Smith would eventually own Mill Hill, Sandy Pond Club, and later Jacks Outback. Mill Hill was an upscale establishment hosting fancy gatherings, weddings, and other parties, while also having an orchestra which played there.  Smith sold the fledgling establishment in May 1952 to a company called Mill Hill Development headed by Joseph Sullivan for $100,000 ($970,000 in 2020).

Though it was known more for strings and suit jackets during the 1950’s the initial incarnation of Mill Hill Club did play a big part in the early days of Cape Cod jazz. It was during the early 1950’s that legendary jazz trumpeter Lou Colombo got his start on the Cape by commuting from Brockton to play as part of a Big Band ensemble at Mill Hill. In the 1970’s he would get a full-time gig there leading to him moving to Cape Cod with his family permanently.

     Though still maintaining a finger on the pulse of Cape Cod jazz throughout its early decades the Mill Hill Club began to incorporate other forms of music inside its walls. Purchased in the late 1960’s by Carmine Vara the club would usher in acts like Folk rockers Peter, Paul, and Mary while later on during the days of punk Black Flag would blister through a set during the early 1980’s. Comedian, and future Crystal Palace owner Dick Doherty would begin to perform on the Mill Hill Stage. In addition to those performances stars such as Jonathan Edwards, B.B. King, Gary Lewis and His Playboys, The Grass Roots, local legends The Incredible Casuals, and more would make appearances. So legendary were the live sets at the Mill Hill that in 1979 a live album was released.

The Mill Hill Club Live Album Cover. Courtesy of Kings of Cape Cod

Vara along with his son Henry and manager Corydon Litchard would oversee the most prosperous and yet controversial period of the Mill Hill Club. From 1969 to 1978 the same management team would be in charge. That changed when Litchard left at the beginning of 1979 to try his hand at owning the venerable Velvet Hammer in Hyannis.

     The Mill Hill Club was one of the pioneers of the Cape Cod Happy Hour and attracted countless thousands of people yearly especially in its peak period of the 1970’s and 1980’s. The club would expand from its original 1600-square-footprint of the old tavern to an enormous 8500-square-feet plus parking for 150 vehicles. It truly was the king of Cape Cod clubs.

Inside the Mill Hill Club. Courtesy of Kings of Cape Cod

However its popularity became a problem. Wrought with liquor violations, small fires, rowdy crowds, and increasingly louder entertainment Mill Hill became a target of the town. Beginning as early as the late 1970’s resident complained to the town about overflow parking with people parking vehicles wherever they could just to get into the iconic establishment. Liquor and entertainment licenses would be temporarily suspended at times like in 1983 and 2001 however the club would soldier on. Henry Vara would take full control of the club from his father in late 1985 with Jim Liadis coming on as manager. He would introduce the appropriately named Mill Tavern at the Mill Hill Club as part of the complex.

The coming attractions at Mill Hill during the late 1980's. Courtesy of Kings of Cape Cod

At the dawn of the 21^st century complaint calls would continue to rise and the Mill Hill slowly slid into obscurity. Though it remained technically open until 2008 the club was virtually deserted in the years leading up to its official demise. The shell of the once mighty Mill Hill Club fell into disrepair, sitting on high overlooking Route 28 as a relic of the Golden Age of Cape Cod nightlife.

The façade crumbled over the period of several years before finally being razed in 2014, making way for a senior living facility, Mill Hill Residence, owned by Maplewood. Opening in August 2017 this retirement community sits where the former king of Cape Cod nightclubs once stood for more than five decades. In a piece of irony, the disco ball which hung inside the Mill Hill Club for decades now sits in the lobby of Mill Hill Residence, enjoying its retirement.

The retired Mill Hill Club disco ball.

For More on the Golden Age of Cape Cod Nightlife check out Kings of Cape Cod.com

My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Storyland Amusement Park, Hyannis

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Baxendales and Amrita Island

                              

Cape Cod Sunsets 2020 Calendar available at Zazzle here: Cape Cod Living Store

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com