Founded in 1868, Jacob Wirth was the second-oldest continuously operated restaurant in Boston when it closed in 2018.

[3] The restaurant was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980[1] and designated a Boston Landmark in 1977, with interior and exterior protections.

[citation needed] In 2010, Chelsea developer AJ Simboli Real Estate purchased the property for $1.6 million.

[5] The restaurant was put up for sale in January 2018[2] after having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,[6] and closed following a fire in June of that year.

[7][8] As recently as October 2021 there was a restoration effort under way to repair fire damage and reopen the restaurant as it had been prior to its closure.