Doyle Auction House Expands to the Back Bay

 The venerable New York auction house, Doyle, has expanded to Boston, with a popup showroom now open on Clarendon Street that will eventually evolve into a permanent gallery in the Back Bay.

​Laura Doyle, the company’s CEO and the youngest of 22 Doyle grandchildren, has followed in the footsteps of her father, the late William Doyle, who started his antique business in 1962. A Newton native, William learned the antique business from two local antique dealers – George Gravert on Charles Street and Jack Yaffe in Chelsea, respectively.

A rendering of Doyle auction house’s popup showroom at 236 Clarendon St. in the Back Bay.

Like the company’s headquarters at 175 East 87th St. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Doyle’s Boston outpost is an auction house showroom, as well as an appraiser of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorations, and other items.

The Clarendon Street popup location, which spans 2,400 square feet across three floors, opened on Jan. 10, and will remain open through the summer. “We’ve been looking for long time for the perfect space, and this one was ready to go turnkey as a popup,” said Laura. Afterwards, Doyle hopes to find a permanent home in the Back Bay.

The move to Boston seemed like a logical step for Doyle, said Laura, since Kathryn Craig, the company’s New England Regional Advisor since 2012, was already based in Boston, while Chris Barber, who assumed the role of vice president/director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts on March 1 of last year, is a lifelong New Englander who calls Newton home.

Barber also specializes in American furniture and decorative art, as well as American folk art – all of which, he said, can be found in abundance in the Boston area.

Besides providing new opportunities for some of Doyle’s staff members, the expansion to Boston also comes in response to an opportunity they saw in the marketplace, said Laura.

Meanwhile, highlights from Doyle’s upcoming auctions in New York are now on display at the Boston store, such as items from an Americana auction set for May 3.

The Boston location will also host special events for the community in the future, perhaps including educational programming and lectures. The store also carries a small array of retail items for sale, including handbags and silver picture frames from the Alice Kwartler Collection.

“We’ve been thrilled with the reception we’ve received so far,” said Craig of their expansion to Boston. “The neighborhood has been so inviting, as well as people coming in from out of town.”

Barber added, “Plenty of people who’ve stopped by know us as a New York auction house and are really thrilled now that we have a tangible Boston presence. We’ve also met people from the neighborhood who were happy to talk to us about the services Doyle provides.”

Doyle’s popup showroom is located at 236 Clarendon St. in the Back Bay. Visit https://doyle.com/locations/boston-new-england or call 617-999-8254 for more information.

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