463 Commercial Street, the Flagship dory bar, by David W. Dunlap (2009).
Peter Petas and Ted Jones faced a critical question: restore this building to its form as the Flagship restaurant, with portico braced on ship’s knees, or take it back close to the 1910 studio built by E. Ambrose Webster as his Summer School of Drawing and Painting? They chose Webster, who died in 1935, by coincidence the year that Manuel “Pat” Patrick opened the Flagship in the abutting “Hulk.” The Flagship expanded into this building, gained a dory bar, and became an institution. After Patrick died in 1964, it continued under his widow, Hilda, then Ciro Cozzi. It was where Anthony Bourdain got his start and appeared in his Kitchen Confidential as the “Dreadnaught.” In the ’90s, it was the Dancing Lobster, under Nils Berg; then Jackson’s at the Flagship. While Petas and Jones removed other accretions, they kept the dory bar, so in one sense, there’ll always be a Flagship.
More than 2,000 buildings and vessels are searchable on buildingprovincetown.com. The Building Provincetown book is available for purchase ($20) at Town Hall, Office of the Town Clerk, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown 02657.
Hi I fallow you every year my name is Lorraine Najar from Lorraine’s Restaurant. I must say I was the one who restored the dory boat it took me 3 weeks with one very good carpenter Billy who has since past. I also was after The lobster tail then sub lease to Jackesons restaurant. The dory boat was so damaged and I made it into the focal point of the restaurant and turned it into a bar with seating raising the top with 1 1/2 thick mohogine anyways I’m so happy to see it is still there I had heard that it was. Great shot! Love your work Lorraine
Billy in the above comment was William (Bill) Smith, master carpenter of Provincetown.
Thank you, Leo.