About The Boulevard
In 1939, Carstensen Inc. removed two floors from the Merchant’s Hotel in downtown Johnstown, which was situated on the site of the Cambria County Transit Center. The salvageable items were transported here and used in the construction of this two-story building. John and Frances Deutsch operated a meat market and diner on the ground level, above which stood a three bedroom apartment. As times changed, so did owners and names of this facility which include The Office and My Friends.
Our ownership has resulted in many changes. The first set of doors you pass through originally hung at the Beth Shalom Synagogue, which now houses the Ferndale Elementary School. The second set of doors were the portal for the Woolworth Five and Dime building in downtown Johnstown, which is now the site of the AmeriServ building. The booths within the bar were retrieved from a Philadelphia hotel. Additionally, the fire box pull hung outside the cafeteria of the former Johnstown Central High School, while the clock on the wall originally hung in the Southmont High School. The phone booth, located in our game room, once served the Newark, New Jersey, Grand Central Station. While the bankett seating employs a pew from the former St. Rochus Church. The apartment upstairs has been renovated into a separate dining area and our present kitchen. An Atrium room was added to the upstairs in the Fall of 1996. The 120 seat Boulevard Grill Warehouse banquet facility was completed in the Spring of 1999. The single story building most recently housed the Car Rite Oil Co. until 1998. A special feature of the Boulevard Grill Warehouse is the seating in the vestibule, obtained from the Jennerstown Mountain Playhouse, which was originally from Pittsburgh’s Stanley Theatre. The vestibule itself is constructed with modified door panels from the Woolworth building. For you sports fans, the ivy filling the planter in the front of the warehouse is from clippings taken from Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field.
In our newest room, The Speakeasy, we have incorporated salvaged bricks and a 1903 coal chute from the Hub, which was located at the corner of Franklin and Vine Streets.
Most recently we have added an arena seat and section of the playing area salvaged from the Cambria County War Memorial during the 2015 Kraft Hockeyville renovations; these items are in the main bar area. Also, many of the coat hooks throughout the main bar, game room, and side bar came from the Roxbury Elementary School after its demolition.