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Weylu’s – a three-story, pagoda-topped restaurant complex
Opened: 1989
Closed: 1998
Nine miles north of downtown Boston, the largest Chinese restaurant ever built, 60,000 square feet with 1,500 seats
For more than 20 years, Weylu’s stood atop a small hill on Route 1 like a fortress guarding the orange tyrannosaurus rex statue at Route 1 Mini Golf across the street. Set far back from Route 1, the massive 50,000-square-foot Chinese pagoda was easily the most opulent restaurant in town, with its valet parking by attendants in tuxedos and the giant red pagoda entrance that was hard to miss by the nearly 89,000 vehicles that passed by on the busy highway daily.
A circular driveway led up a hill to an imposing drive-through pagoda. Customers waited in line for hours to be served or made reservations weeks in advance. Customers rode an escalator replete with huge golden dragons entwining a pillar, to the main dining room, where arched footbridges spanned a waterfall and a Chinese rock garden. The restaurant offered great food and atmosphere among fish filled indoor fountains, with gold accents at every turn, fixtures from China and pricey Asian art. The menu included Mandarin, Sichuan and Hong Kong-style dishes. In its heyday, the restaurant was serving 5,000 meals a day.
The super-sized restaurant complex was the idea of Rick and Wilma Chang, successful restaurateurs who immigrated to the United States from Brazil after fleeing Communist China. Modeled after the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, construction began on Weylu’s in 1986. Three years and $13 million ($25 million in 2015 dollars) later, the lavish restaurant filled with marble and silk finally opened to much acclaim with a performance by the Peking Acrobats.
Weylu’s ran into trouble when the recession hit in the early 1990s. Consumers cut back on eating out, mortgage and tax payments were missed, eventually the Bank of China foreclosed and Weylu’s was shuttered in 1998, after a bankruptcy court ordered its liquidation.
In 2004, $5 million was spent restoring the building to its former grandeur. The interior was renovated – floors refinished, walls replastered, ceilings repaired, thousands of water damaged tiles were replaced and broken sprinklers were fixed. The site reopened as East Manor and then again as New East Manor, both ventures failed relatively quickly.
In 2006, the Ming Lam family opened another Chinese restaurant named Jin. The grand opening was a spectacle that featured performances by Dionne Warwick and local high school bands. Jin contained a 350-capacity nightclub, Orchid, which turned out to be a nightmarish property for the owners as it was the scene of shootings and brawls from nearly the time it opened until the day it closed.
Like its predecessors, Jin did not last very long. With its liquor license revoked and no certificate to operate, Jin shut down in 2009 and the property went dark.
Sadly, I received news just 2 weeks after my visit on August 28th, 2015, that the site had been demolished.
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I just read an article that said demolition began in Sept. 2015. Wonder if the whole site is demolished, if anyone's been there recently let me know? would be curious to make the trip even if some of it is still standing.
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Awesome coverage, Serendipitee!
As for any of it still standing? Looks pretty baked, to me.
"Are you happy now with all the choices you've made?" "Are there times in life when you know you should've stayed?"
"Will you compromise and then realize the price is too much to pay?" "Winners and losers... which one will you be today?"
***Social Distortion*** |
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WHAT a restaurant ! This is a shame. All the lovely furnishings. Gift shop, Coat room, Golden Dragons and ponds with fish. Must of been QUITE the DINING experience. Wonder how much a night of food and drinks would set you back here?
I did see the menus but couldn't discern what the pricing was. This place reminds me of something Grand that would be full of Stars and Gangsters back in the 70's. Thanks Much for the coverage on this place. Hope someone was able to rescue a few teapots and Lotus bowls before Demo.
A place of Mystery is Always worth a curiosity trip!
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Beautiful set. As someone who lives less than 15 minutes from here, cross this off my bucket list and add to the list I will forever kick myself for not exploring. Glad you posted these, I hadn't even seen that many pictures of the inside.
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bummer it's torn down now. It wasnt' that expensive to eat at, a little pricey but in general the boston area is overpriced anyway, but this place was generally fairly mass-market to mid-upscale, not ultra high-end.
the photos would be better without all the blur/photoshopping for effect.
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Great pictures! Love the takeout window at #9
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Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.
Words cannot express how angry I am that this place is gone. Even if it was abandoned, that pagoda was such an icon to Route 1, and driving past it was always a pleasure. Now, it just isn't the same seeing that hill with nothing at its peak.
At least the developers of the Hilltop Steakhouse property kept the cactus to preserve the memory of the restaurant, but there's nothing left of old Weylu's now, not even the archway that lead to the parking lot. 
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How did I miss this post?? I remember you telling me all about it but didn't realize you did a full write-up and photo set for it. Talk about good timing as far as your visit here goes! Sounds like there aren't very many known photographs of this place. That always makes the ones you have even more important (and awesome). 
I wandered till the stars went dim. |
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It's still weird every time i drive by it and it is not there.
What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time. John Berger |
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Wow the memories. I remember driving by this all the time but never actually getting the chance to get in. It's awesome that you were able to document this! It was cool to revisit the sight of this since it is now gone
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it's sad to see something that fail.
but isn't this what this hobby is full of... failed dreams?
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Posted by Samurai
it's sad to see something that fail.
but isn't this what this hobby is full of... failed dreams?
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Urban Exploration is a sad sad hobby
https://www.instagram.com/chris.kiely/
ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/adv_/ |
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Posted by Adv.Pack
Urban Exploration is a sad sad hobby
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sometimes, it can be.
And I do not mean that sarcastically, either.
sorry if I came off as such.
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No I totally agree.
Its a very sad and frustrating hobby. I tell new people to not get attached to locations because they will be gone/destroyed before you know it.
...modified for spelling
[last edit 1/12/2017 1:21 AM by Adv.Pack - edited 2 times]
https://www.instagram.com/chris.kiely/
ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/adv_/ |
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Oh hell I live only an hour away from here! Wish I'd known about it before it was demo'd. :C
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Oh wow. Drove by this spot countless times, always wanted to check it out.
Thanks for sharing, bummed I never got to see it for myself.
I may not believe in marriage, but I do believe in best men. |
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I used to drive by this weekly always wanted to check it out. Its a shame it got demolished
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Ethics
