Culinary school, historical museum, and more coming to North End in 2026

Frank DePasquale is “going to make the greatest entrance to the greatest inner-city Italian community in the country.”

To create this entrance to the North End, the restaurateur and businessman is transforming the block of 60-80 Cross St., on the corner of Hanover Street, into a culinary school, cafe, and several Italian stores. They’re set to open next summer.

On the construction site daily, DePasquale is also footing the bill for the North End Historical Museum’s new location on Prince Street, also set to open in 2026. 

DePasquale, who grew up in the North End after immigrating from Italy, said other Italian neighborhoods don’t compare. 

“I saw that they don’t seem to progress to the level where we are, because we’re just not red sauce restaurants,” he said.

“I actually had a friend of mine from Rome here the other day, [and] he said to me, ‘Honestly, Italy should take this example because there is no neighborhood like this, sometimes even in Italy,’” DePasquale added.

Recalling it made him smile.

“The North End is all family owned,” he continued. “You will see a family member outside each and every business here in the North End that welcomes you. … Each family member is giving them the double kiss, that hug, that special attention.”

DePasquale opened his first North End restaurant in 1987 and now owns over a dozen. “It’s my turn to give back to this neighborhood because this is where it all started with a 20-seat restaurant with Trattoria Il Panino, and honestly, I never looked back,” he said.

Cross Street development

DePasquale announced he bought the longtime vacant Cross Street block, the former home of Martignetti Liquors, in May. He said he bought the block because “there’s a lot of things missing in the North End.”

The main business opening there is La Scuola, DePasquale’s culinary school, in partnership with Dolce & Salato culinary school in Maddaloni, Italy. Currently, DePasquale has 14 culinary students in Boston on six-month visas to prepare for the school’s opening.

The other businesses on the block will be a Neapolitan cafe, a jewelry store, a women’s handbag and shoe store, a baby shoe store, and a travel agency.

Traditionally a restaurateur, DePasquale has branched out into real estate with Bricco Suites, the wholesale food provider Land & Sea Provisions, and now, the Cross Street and historical museum developments. 

“Every day I like to challenge myself to something, and I love when people say you can’t because I definitely can,” he said. “To me, it’s not work.” 

In 2018, the Charter Realty group proposed turning the block into the “North End Piazza” with a restaurant, a Citizens Bank, and a hotly contested Starbucks. However, strong community backlash prevented the development from moving forward, according to The Boston Globe.

North End Historical Society

The North End Historical Society has been searching for a brick-and-mortar space since 2010, according to the Globe.

Earlier this year, DePasquale decided to pay for the first five years of the 3 Prince St. lease and construction costs, according to GBH. In return, DePasquale told the society to pay him $1 per month, he told Boston.com.

“There’s nothing better than keeping the history of the North End, the history of the people that sacrificed 400 years to make this what it is,” he said. “Why not bring that to life?”

The historical museum will be located on the Freedom Trail and amongst so much more Boston history, DePasquale said. 

The museum almost found a location on Lovejoy Wharf earlier this year, but the space ultimately went to a Haitian organization, the Toussaint L’Ouverture Cultural Center, according to the Globe. 

In another effort to preserve the North End’s history, DePasquale added a fence and lighting to All Saints Way. Founded by, and now in memory of, Peter Baldassari, All Saints Way is a small alleyway on Battery Street decorated with framed photos of every Catholic saint. 

“So his legacy has to go on,” DePasquale said. All Saints Way is “another great place to bring people to understand the history of the North End and how Catholic we all are here.”

Sign up for the Today newsletter

Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.