Inside “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras”
Back in the late 1980′s when I was in school in Boston, I frequently visited a place on Newbury Street called “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras.”
Part store and part museum, it was a mysterious space full of beautiful artwork, crumbling masonry and religious relics.
Dry leaves that crunched underfoot were always scattered across the floor.
And always in the background, a recording of a haunting piano melody played over and over. No beginning and no end. It was composed and performed by the owner of the store, Louis Gordon. Read on to get a free copy of the song.
All of the items were for sale, but nothing had a price tag. If you inquired about purchasing an item, Lou would simply ask “What is it worth to you?” He also loved to talk with visitors about the history and background of all the artwork.
Lou, the owner of “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras,” in a PBS documentary about gargoyles back in 1999. Click to watch the video.
While passing through Boston on my way to visit my family this holiday season, memories of this special place suddenly floated up in my mind. But sadly, I quickly learned that the store closed down in 2008.
Inside the store “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras”
I found many wonderful reviews from other people who had also been deeply touched by this meditative place. It’s amazing to me how many people loved this space.
Inside “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras”
One of the artists featured in the store was Duncan Chrystal, who’s current work can be found online. I bought a couple of his pieces for myself and my family over the years.
Art by Duncan Chrystal inside the store
When I returned home to Montreal, I dimly remembered buying a CD recording of that special piano music from Lou many years ago. I also remembered making an mp3 from the CD the same day I bought it so that I would never lose it (my physical CDs have a tendency to break or disappear).
After some digging through my digital archives, I finally found the file last night. It’s a real relic from the past, with a file creation date of October 16, 2001. It is hard for me to believe it has been over 11 years since I bought it.
Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras is now only a gentle memory and, sadly, I cannot find any current contact information for Lou . Since I cannot find his piano song available for purchase anywhere, and since I also know many people like myself would love to hear it again, I think Lou would be happy for me to share it freely.
Listen to “The Anatomy of Melancholy – No Beginning and No End” :
Download mp3 (right-click the link below and select Save Link):
“The Anatomy of Melancholy – No Beginning and No End”
Lou, wherever you are, thank you for creating a sacred space and inviting so many of us to share it for so many years. You used to say “Only those who are meant to come in, come in.” Please know that all of us who did will never forget.
No beginning. No end.
The 262 Newbury Street entrance for “Gargoyles Grotesques & Chimeras”
P.S. (edited 2/3 2013) Here are some of my own favorite pieces that I acquired from the store. If you have any pictures of your own treasured items from Gargoyles, please share them in the comments if you wish.
This brass winged lion used to sit inside at the front of the store.
I used to have many of these pewter angel coins. This last one is tarnished and treasured.
One of Duncan’s paintings that I bought for my mom many years ago.
My mom was thrilled when she discovered the hidden painting on the back.
We had a similar shop (in terms of ambiance) here in NYC- devoted to Wiccans and Magic. As described in the NYT-
The Magickal Childe
35 West 19th Street, Chelsea, no phone.
“On a rainy afternoon, the Magickal Childe has a mysterious look. A shaft of light falls across the sidewalk from the window. Inside is a trove of magic artifacts, crystals, herbs, talismans, books on necromancy and pagan rituals, stacked to the pressed tin ceiling. It is a slightly sinister place, but the air is filled with the sweet smell of cloves and cinnamon.
And like G,G&C, it is closed now. Maybe the big spaceship finally took them home
I like your idea of these spaces going “home.” Perhaps they will spiral back into existence in another time and place.
via your friendly social engineer:
Louis D Gordon is 61 and lives in Brookline MA, no listed phone or Facebook or various that I could find on an easy search.
Being a privacy advocate means never (or always?) having to say it’s a sorry state of affairs that it’s this easy.
thanks so much for this post….i was a regular patron of this store from its earliest inception (i was 16 at the time) til the time it closed (at which point i was around 33). through the years i purchased quite a collection of pieces from there, many of which have sadly been lost, destroyed, or left behind after two cross country moves from boston to la. however, many are still with me- including most of my Duncan paintings and a life size saint ann statue (which i believe Lou acquired from the parish church of a catholic grade school which closed down). saint ann is definitely a little worse for the wear, but as Lou always said age and accidents don’t ruin a piece, they just make it more special.
i too have been looking for lou’s copntact info. i spent countless afternoons chatting with him in the store, and i still feel like he was one of the most special, unique and truly magical person i’ve ever known. he was and will continue to be an enormous influence on me, both as a person and thru everything i experienced in his store. i often think of him and always hope that he is well and happy- but the particular reason i’ve looked for his contact was to replace a large print of one of his photographs, one that was always on display at the shop -in various sizes and print variations, called “the giving”. the version i purchased from him was one of my most treasured possessions, but it was destroyed. i spoke to him shortly before the store closed about replacing it, but i lost the contact info he gave me that day and have never been able to find any trace of him online other than a few older articles or mentions regarding the store. lou was never a fan of the internet so i guess it shouldn’t surprise me that he remains a ghost when it comes to online searches to this day.
i owned a copy of the “anatomy of melancholy” cd, but it was lost a few years back and its another thing i’ve actually looked everywhere to find online to no avail. so thanks so much for posting it here along with the pics of the store. both bring back a wealth of memories. nostalgia for Gargoyles….
“The houses are all gone under the sea.
The dancers are all gone under the hill.”
Hi ascrobius,
You’re welcome, my friend. I’m so glad my post brought back good memories for you and that you are enjoying the music.
Take care,
-John
Thank you so much for this website and for the song, I truly loved that place in my teenage years until it closed when I was 25, and Lou was a wonderful human being, a true treasure.
You’re welcome Little Jill.
Hi, ascrobius,
I have a large print of The Giving that I framed and always planned on hanging up, but could never find the right spot. It’s propped up against the wall in a room we hardly use (turned backwards because my niece who was sleeping over said it freaked her out) I would love to give it to you. It deserves to be seen and enjoyed
My email is brenna80 at gmail dot com if you want to get in touch.
I miss Gargoyles so much! I’m so psyched to be able to listen to the song that was played there. I didn’t know that the owner wrote and performed it. So cool. It really brings me back.
-Brenna
That is incredibly generous and thoughtful of you, Brenna. I hope ascrobius sees your message!
And I’m very glad you are enjoying the song. It makes me feel good to know there are people out there in the world for whom it brings back beautiful memories.
I hope so, too! I always wished that I bought more art at Gargoyles before it closed, but whenever Lou asked, “What is it worth to you?” I would almost always say, “Way more than I could ever pay.”
Lou is well . my best friend.
Thank you for posting and letting us know, Duncan! I hope all is well with you too.
Thanks I lost my CD somewhere years ago and listening to it again is great.
hi Brenna. i believe i replied to lou’s same question regarding worth in nearly exactly the same manner on more than a few occasions- but its more pertinent than ever in this situation. i was starting to believe i would never track down a replacement for “the giving”…i don’t think any other item has been as important or personally significant. as such. as such, your offer is too generous (and very much in the spirit of the shop and the person which inspired this topic.). i’ll email you privately to discuss further…
yes
Lou would always have the people that bought paintings write a personal note to me on a postcard. I never knew what painting they took home.but the words sent to me always moved me. I still have them all.
duncan- i wrote one or two of those postcards…i still have the reply the reply you sent which included a print of one of your watercolors. i purchased about 9 or 10 of your pieces over the course of probably almost as many years at gargoyles…3 or 4 were purchased for the purpose of giving to others (one of which was sent across the country to someone i still to this day have never met in person), and i’ve given a few from my personal collection away in the years since i left boston and moved to LA. the remaining four that i still have all date from roughly the same period….if i had to guess i’d say probably from 96 or 97. i’d be more than happy to send you photos of them for the purpose of either your archives or your curiousity. it was always interesting to see the progression of your work and how the initial concept evolved over time. it seemed like there was some sort of evolution and progression in each batch Lou received. a former girlfriend (who still remains a close friend ) owns one of the pieces from the very first group you ever sent to boston. i particularly always wanted to acquire one of the very large pieces you starting doing later, but (although i’m sure Lou would have accepted any offer i made) i never was in a financial position to afford what i felt was a reasonable approximation of their worth.
if you talk to lou pls tell him that i said hello, and that his kindness, wisdom, spirit, and humor will always be an incredibly significant and important source of inspiration and influence
“you say I am repeating
Something I have said before. I shall say it again.
Shall I say it again?”
Thanks I will extend your greetings to Lou. Does he know you as ascrobius? I am a curious person so I am curious what paintings you might still have pictures of. please feel free to email me at duncan.chrystal@gmail .com. or post them here..
Duncan, he’ll know me as matthew- who worked around the corner at satellite records, purchased a bunch of your work, along with a life size saint Ann, “the giving”, a gourd man print, and many many other items. He introduced me to rick greenthorn he dida pro shoot for a record label I used to own. He’ll remember. I probably spent more hours in gargoyles than anyone over the years…
I’ll take pics of my remaining Duncan’s tonight and email them over to you…
Thanks Matthew..I am sure he will. Lou doesn’t use the computer but also include your telephone # and I will pass it along to him..
Duncan, the next time you speak with Lou could you ask him if he has any CD copies of The Anatomy of Melancholy? If not, I would love to create a CD and mail it to him so he can listen to his own song again. My email is john.e.lester@gmail.com in case he wishes to privately share a mailing address with me. Thank you.
Yes of course.
Thank you so much for posting this and for sharing the mp3. I was only in Gargoyles once, in 1996. I was visiting a friend who was in college at the time, so I spent many happy hours wandering around the city by myself while he was in class. I came across this magical place and loved it. I only had enough money to buy a tiny Irving gargoyle, which has always served as a reminder of my favorite spot in Boston.
About a year ago, I discovered that another friend of mine has several larger gargoyles she acquired in Lou’s shop while attending college in Boston in the late ’80s/early ’90s. Until I found your post, she was the only other person I knew of who had been there, and it was reassuring to know that I didn’t just imagine such a fantastical shop.
Thank you for the kind words, Mary. That’s a beautiful story.
Isn’t it amazing how many lives that tiny store touched before it faded away? Like a precious stone tossed in a lake, sinking quickly beneath the water yet leaving ripples for miles.
Chanced upon your blog post today while reading about the terrible events at the marathon. I flashed back to many happy trips to Boston’s Newbury Street; in the late 90′s a good friend took me to see the Gargoyle Shop for the first time and it was a moving, mystical experience that stayed with me for a long time. The last time I was in town – last summer – I was saddened to learn that the store had closed several years ago. My shelves still have a few small, beautiful pieces from the store, and I kept one of their old business cards/receipts, with a “∞” inscribed on the back by hand. Thank you so much for this post.
You’re welcome, Lenka. I’m happy you enjoyed this post. Take care.
That store was a pilgrimage for me, and an anomaly on Newbury Street, I’m pleased it lasted as long as it did there. Thanks for the music track, I never asked Lou about it, I assumed it was some Eno piece. Even if I didn’t buy something on my visits there, Lou would inevitably press some small token into my hand upon leaving. I still have some ornate frames from there that I need to use for some artwork. I know I took many photos when I that heard it was closing, they’re somewhere on my flickr page. I can search for them later if you like.
Hi Matt. I’d love to see any photos you might have, and I’m sure other people reading this post would too. Please post a link to them if you get a chance. Thank you!
Here are three of my faves. Searching my photostream for “gargoyles” will bring up others.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuttingmonkey/2173125265/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuttingmonkey/2193683049/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuttingmonkey/2193683033/