Then & Now: Mr. Bill's, 139 Green St., Worcester

Mike Elfland, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
A handful of restaurants have taken up the first floor of the building at 139 Green St. over the years, most recently Smokestack Urban Barbecue.
A handful of restaurants have taken up the first floor of the building at 139 Green St. over the years, most recently Smokestack Urban Barbecue.
At one time, including when Mr. Bill's filled the street level, the building at 139 Green St. was four floors.
At one time, including when Mr. Bill's filled the street level, the building at 139 Green St. was four floors.

Mr. Bill's, an Italian restaurant with a memorable ricotta pie, opened in the former Sir Morgan's Cove in January 1986.

The building has been home to a series of restaurants over the years, most recently Smokestack Urban Barbecue.

But before you get satisfaction by suggesting it's the same spot that Mick Jagger once visited, think again. The building at 139 Green St. was the original home of Sir Morgan's Cove, a stone's throw away from its second home. On Sept. 14, 1981, the Rolling Stones played a surprise gig at 89 Green St., the better-known location of Sir Morgan's.

The Hoey family eventually reshaped the first floor of the building at 139 Green St. into a 95-seat Italian restaurant - shown in this week's Then photo.

Mr. Bill's, with a menu of traditional Italian dishes, wines and pastries, gave customers a reason to visit Green Street, an area described in a Gazette review as "definitely not chic."

But Mr. Bill's would have a short existence. About 16 months after opening the restaurant, the Hoey family revealed that it was selling the business. They said they received an offer from another restaurant owner, an offer they couldn't pass up.

Robert Verdolino, owner of Libby's restaurant at 687 Franklin St., didn't take long to reopen the old Mr. Bill's under a new name, Libby's Too. The menu remained Italian.

After more than a year of making a go of it, Verdolino closed the doors for good at Libby's Too. A lack of business, as simple as that, he explained.

The building, at one time four floors, was hit by a few fires over the years. In May 1990, a predawn fire ripped through the upper floors, trapping some residents. The blaze took three lives, including that of Charlie Epps, a collector of returnable bottles and cans who went by the nickname Charlie the Yankee.

The three upper floors of the building at 139 Green St. were eventually removed. It was revived as a one-floor building, its distinct arched entryway the lone reminder of its earlier look.

In the years that followed, a succession of restaurants filled the spot, among them Duke's, Block Five, Jewel Box and Smokestack, the latter of which closed in November after a decade in the building. At the time of the 1990 fire, the 400 Worcester Restaurant took up the first floor.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Then & Now: Mr. Bill's, 139 Green St., Worcester