The Danvers Butchery Meat Market and Cold Storage (Danvers, Massachusetts - August 13, 2002) » Building Use

The Barn as originally constructed had an obvious agricultural use. Early photographs show the typical large doors, hay loft door and hoist mechanism for lifting up the bales. During its life, one of the additions housed a bottling plant for a nearby fresh water spring, and others were used for butchering fresh killed game and storing the meat. In 1945, a business was opened on the site, Danvers Cold Storage Locker Plant, Inc. Area residents could rent one of the 297 lockers to preserve their meat. In 1950, 1216 hunters used their services and paid $2.50 to skin a deer and 7 cents per pound for processing. The owner would also get the hides and tan them for manufacturing. He sold the goods at the Deerskin Trading Post across town. At a later point in time, a retail seafood store occupied the premises.

The property was purchased by the father of the current owner in the late 1970’s and sold to the son around 1990. They developed the current business, The Danvers Butchery, which provided retail sales of meat. Some traditional groceries were also available for sale. Cooking and food preparation were done in a commercial kitchen located at the west end of the complex. The east end of the complex held several large walk-in freezer units to store perishable stock.

At the time it was built, the surrounding area was mostly farm land. It is currently a residential neighborhood and zoned as such. The Butchery is grandfathered for its use due to the longevity of the business. A typical year would see over 100,000 customers with an average of nearly 320 per day. Saturdays were the busiest with counts close to a thousand during the warm summer months when New England grills are fired up. While the store was not open on Sundays in consideration of the neighborhood, Saturdays frequently saw cars parked all along the roads in this area. Some neighbors disliked the business and kept a vigilant eye on the property. Numerous complaints were filed with the Danvers Building Department anytime changes were made at the property. Consequently, permits were reviewed regularly with appropriate inspections. A second store is located in nearby Newbury.

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