Salem's Victoria Station Is Going Once, Going Twice, And Gone!

SALEM, MA -- Because who doesn't love old railroad signs? Witch City Consignment's auction scheduled for Monday night will include dozens of items from Victoria Station, a Salem landmark and the last of a once-storied chain of restaurants that closed in December. Lots include most of the signs that hung on the wall of the Pickering Wharf restaurant, which is being remodeled and will become the new home for Finz later this year.

The auction starts at 6 pm on April 30 and is being conducted by J. Bayles Auctioneers in conjunction with Witch City Consignment. In addition to the Victoria Station memorabilia, the auction will feature "a lot of other cool items from local estates," according to the auction listing.

Many of the items are antique signs that decorated the restaurant's walls and had either a railroad or Salem connection. There's a sign urging people to support Salem Firefighter's and their push for a 42-hour workweek, a two-piece "Waiting Room" sign and a wooden sign the says "Victoria Station’s Specialty Prime Rib."

Finz Seafood and Grill will move into the Pickering Wharf space previously occupied by Victoria Station and Doc's Boathouse, which abruptly closed December 6. Victoria Station was evicted by Pickering Wharf LLC, the property's new owner, after a one-year extension to its lease expired November 30.

Finz opened its current location in 2000. The new space gives it an additional 1,000 square feet of space when it moves in June, George Cary, the restaurant's owner, told the Salem News, which first reported the story. Salem Patch had previously reported that a deal was in the works when Victoria Station first closed in December.

Court records indicate a deal had been in the works before Victoria Station closed. The closure left Victoria Station employees out of work heading into what is normally the busiest -- and most profitable -- time of year for service industry workers. And the Salem Children's Charity had to scramble to find a new venue for its annual holiday party and fundraiser, which had been scheduled for December 12.

Management for Victoria's Station have not responded to requests for comment. The restaurant shared on its Facebook page details about the rescheduled holiday party on December 11, as well as a message on December 6 saying the restaurant had been forced to shutdown because of a misunderstanding and that they were working "to resolve this issue."

For more photos and information, see the auction listing.

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Photo by Witch City Consignment.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).