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R. H. White

1853 establishments in MassachusettsDefunct department stores based in MassachusettsPages incorrectly using the Blockquote template
Interior, R. H. White department store
Interior, R. H. White department store

R. H. White was a department store company of the 19th and 20th centuries, based in Boston. The company existed from 1853 to c. 1980; the flagship downtown Boston store was open from 1876 to 1957. The houses of Jordan, Marsh & Company and the R. H. White Company constitute the two leading department stores of Boston. R. H. White was founded in 1853. Originally on Winter Street, it moved in 1876 to a large ornate six-floor building (designed by Peabody and Stearns and built by McNeil Brothers) at 518–536 Washington Street, in the downtown shopping area. In 1928 the company was bought by Filene's and in 1944 ownership passed to City Stores, Inc. Both these companies continued the independent existence of the R. H. White brand and store. In 1953 the store celebrated its centennial with a makeover and refurbishment of the flagship store, and various events. But urban decay had crept up to the lower edge of the downtown shopping area where R. H. White was located (the so-called Combat Zone would soon spring up a few blocks away). By 1956 sales were down and the store was no longer profitable; City Stores closed the flagship downtown store in 1957.The building stood empty for a while, then – with tax incentives from the City of Boston – City Stores refurbished it and opened a new store called Citymart, which opened in August 1962. Citymart included a full grocery store and a babysitting service for shoppers. The store was not successful as the neighborhood continued to deteriorate. In 1966 the Boston Redevelopment Authority seized the building by eminent domain and moved Raymond's department store there as part of a larger urban renewal project. Raymond's ceased operation in 1972. The building was later torn down to make way for the Lafayette Place Mall urban shopping center.The R. H. White brand continued to exist for a while, and City Stores operated R. H. White branch stores in suburban malls (such as Worcester's Lincoln Plaza shopping center). But by 1980 City Stores was bankrupt and all R. H. White outlets were closed.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article R. H. White (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

R. H. White
Washington Street, Boston Downtown Boston

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.354083333333 ° E -71.061972222222 °
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Washington Street 523,525
02111 Boston, Downtown Boston
Massachusetts, United States
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Interior, R. H. White department store
Interior, R. H. White department store
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Mantra (restaurant)
Mantra (restaurant)

Mantra was a French–Indian Fusion cuisine restaurant located in Temple Place of the Ladder District of Boston, Massachusetts designed by Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani. It was cited as a factor in the transformation of the Ladder District into a more appealing part of the city of Boston. The restaurant featured an avant-garde style design. The food served was compared to Nouvelle cuisine. The restaurant also featured a hookah bar. They began selling high-end Voss bottled water after opening in 2001. Voss was a new brand at that time and Mantra offered it in part to draw attention to their unusual selections.The dining room was located in what was previously the lobby of a bank. The restaurant retained some aspects of the bank's decor with a high ceiling and a marble bar. The restaurant's restrooms drew attention due to their unconventional design. The stalls used One-way mirrors as doors and the urinals were located in the center of the room and were filled with ice.Although it was initially slated to open in January 2001, Mantra did not open until June of that year. It initially featured an Indian chef who had worked in French, Mediterranean and Indian style restaurants. The owners of Mantra had previously owned several traditional style Indian restaurants in Boston.In April 2012, parent company One World Cuisine announced that it would be closing Mantra, along with the company's flagship restaurant Café of India in Harvard Square. In July 2013, the property was sold at foreclosure auction for $1.7 million to Amir Youshaei, owner of Paz Jewelry.