Once a Taunton Landmark, This Milk Bottle Is Now a Boston Icon

Nov 15, 2023

The iconic 52-foot-tall milk bottle that rises from the parking lot at what is now G&S Pizza on Acushnet Avenue in the North End of New Bedford isn't the only milk bottle of its type in Massachusetts.

New Bedford's bottle, erected in 1930 as part of Frates Dairy at 2840 Acushnet Avenue, was the "go-to" place for ice cream for many years. The property changed hands before being purchased by G&S in 2005, which decided to keep the legendary bottle intact.

Who wouldn't? What an eye-catcher.

While there are other bottle-shaped businesses, nothing quite captures the mage of the milk bottles left by the milkman on your doorstep as a kid than the Frates bottle – and another bottle of similar design in Boston.

What is now the Hood Bottle stands 40 feet tall on Congress Street at Fox Point in Boston near the Boston Children's Museum. The Hood Bottle is a big draw, serving up refreshments to museum-goers and others. You may have seen it if you've visited the nearby Boston Tea Party Museum.

By the way, free and discounted passes are available to many Massachusetts museums at the New Bedford Free Public Library including the Boston Children's Museum.

But where did the Hood Bottle come from?

Boston Magazine says, "The bottle got its start in 1933 as a roadside stand for ice cream maker Arthur Gagner, who used it to beckon drivers on Route 44 in Taunton."

By 1967, the bottle was abandoned and in disrepair. In 1975, clothing designer Carol Scofield purchased the structure and restored it. On April 20, 1977, the bottle was delivered via barge to its current location.

Hood is the current of several vendors to occupy the bottle.