The Hotel Commonwealth has been serving our city’s guests in Kenmore Square for more than 10 years, but before that, the space was occupied by one of Boston’s most rowdy music venues, and one of the nation’s most legendary punk clubs. The Rathskeller, known to many simply as “The Rat,” opened in 1974 and hosted the likes of The Ramones, The Police, The Talking Heads, Pixies, and many more. Now, the hotel is looking for memorabilia from the famous rock club to include in a special Rat-themed suite.
The idea came from Hotel Commonwealth’s decision to make a Red Sox suite in 2010, according to Henry Santoro, RadioBDC DJ, longtime Boston music nut, and co-organizer of this project. Since The Rat played such a significant part in shaping the Boston music scene, it only seemed appropriate to give the club its own suite treatment, he says. Santoro remembers The Rat as a rock club unlike any that Boston currently has.
“In the large lineup of legendary Boston clubs, The Rat was the one that seemed to embrace the castaway bands,” he says. “There was a certain grittiness and liveliness to it that today’s rock crowd might miss.”
The Rat suite will feature artwork and memorabilia from bands that used to play the club, including a guitar donated by The Dropkick Murphys. An iPod loaded with music from bands that used to light up The Rat will soundtrack the room, and “Guitar Hero,” which includes a level called “The Rat Cellar,” will be available for your shredding pleasure all day and night. The hotel may even make Rat-themed robes and bed-spreads for the suite.
Here’s where you’re needed. There is already memorabilia flowing in to decorate this suite, but the more the merrier. If you have any sort of memento from The Rat, whether it be something as small as a pick from a band, a sticker, or a photo, Hotel Commonwealth would like to include it with the suite. It can either be a permanent donation or a loan, but if you’re looking to submit a piece, contact [email protected]
