Boutique hotel pitched for movie filming location in Cohasset
Hannah Morse
The Patriot Ledger | USA TODAY NETWORK
COHASSET – The founder of Lumber Liquidators wants to build a boutique hotel at one of the filming locations of a 1987 movie starring Cher.
“Eastwick Inn” – an obvious nod to “The Witches of Eastwick” that also featured Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson – would have eight rooms and a public “Captain’s Walk” waterfront walkway at 82 Border St. in Cohasset.
Thomas D. Sullivan purchased the site, which holds the former Mill River Marine Railways and Cohasset Lobster Pound, and its four buildings for $3.4 million in 2019 under a limited liability company called Coh-Lobster. Sullivan, who left the discount flooring company in 2016, currently runs a private equity firm in Miami Beach, Florida, but owns a home in Cohasset.
The movie was originally supposed to be shot in Little Compton, Rhode Island, but production had to change course after the leaders of the local United Congregational Church didn’t give permission to film scenes inside the church. Instead, several locations in Massachusetts, primarily on the South Shore, served as the fictional Eastwick, Rhode Island.
One of the buildings at 82 Border St. was used as the home of Cher’s character, Alexandra Medford. At the time of filming, the property had a brown, distressed
wood exterior akin to a small fishing village shack and had its own footbridge connecting it to Border Street. Other filming locations include the First Parish Unitarian Church and Cohasset Common, Front Street in Scituate, Milton Academy and the Wang Theatre in Boston.
His proposal to bring a boutique hotel to Cohasset Cove would involve constructing a new structure on the footprint of an existing building and raising the height of two others for flood resilience. The development would also include nine parking spaces.
Cohasset’s zoning board considered the request for a special permit for the project Tuesday evening. Much of the discussion centered on whether there were enough parking spaces for the guests and inn staff.
“Are the guests going to change their own linens?” board member Woody Chittick asked when the applicant’s representatives noted there would likely be only one manager to staff the site.
“This is not going to be your typical hotel operation,” attorney Adam Brodsky said.
The inn would run with automated check-in, cleaning would be outsourced, and guests would share a common kitchen on top of each room’s kitchenette, added project manager Eamon O’Marah.
“It’s really about how we’re trying to position the property so that guests can come and they can be self-sufficient,” he said.
George McGoldrick, one of the founders of the hospitality group that manages the Red Lion Inn and Tavern, did not see an issue with this proposed business plan and said his 15-room lodging is “basically run with one person.”
“We think this is a good use for this property,” he said.
Sullivan is also behind plans to redevelop 46 Border St. as “Cohasset Wharf.” According to plans, it would feature a co-op lobster pound, coffee shop, seasonal kiosk and fine-dining restaurant. The town’s harbor committee noted earlier this year that Seabird Coffee and public restrooms would likely be open at this location by next summer, and dining would open in 2026.
The zoning hearing for Eastwick Inn was continued to Oct. 1.
Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
