Muse on the market for $7 million
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
On March 4, Muse nightclub owner Michael O'Reilly II officially put his 44 Surfside Road building up for sale with Coffin Real Estate at an asking price of an even $7 million. O'Reilly, who became a coowner of The Muse with Skip Cabot in 1989 and then its proprietor about two years ago, is one in a long line of owners of the property that has seen several and varied incarnations since the 1940s.

STEVE SHEPPARD/The Independent Neighbors have filed numerous complaints over the level of noise at the popular Surfside nightclub.

O'Reilly could not be reached for comment on the proposed sale, but it comes less than three weeks after the selectmen on Feb. 21 placed limits on his 2007 entertainment license, seeking a music noise abatement plan and confirmed compliance with the town's outdoor lighting code by April 25. On that April date, the board was to consider removing the license restriction which calls for an end of live music and other music by 11 p.m. The restriction resulted from neighbor complaints and recommendations from the police chief.

Manny Dias recalled that the building first opened in the late 1940s or early 1950s as a roller rink run by his father, Dennis Dias, Sr., where skaters went 'round and 'round to festive organ music. Dennis and his wife Alexandria, known as "Ma" and "Pa," also had a food stand next to the rink where they sold burgers, hot dogs, linguica and Ma's brownies.

"Everybody would come from everywhere to have their hamburgers," said Bea Santos, Manny's sister. "People still remember."

The Dias's decided to close the rink and reopen the building as the Peppermint Stick lounge in the 1960s, with Manny, his wife and other family members included in the operation. Dennis Dias then sold the building to Chris Schell, who reopened the establishment as Schell's Steakhouse. Its next owners were Jack and Betty Kane, who turned the building into The Derby. In 1980, partners Skip Cabot, Herb Cabral, Jr. and Chris Vallett bought it and launched The Muse. In 1989, Cabral and Vallett sold their shares to Cabot and O'Reilly, who jointly operated The Muse until about two years ago when Cabot sold to O'Reilly.

The property consists of the main, 5,000 squarefoot building, including the pizza kitchen, plus a seven-bedroom, two bath house and a duplex with three bedrooms and a bath-and-a-half in each unit.

The nightclub is on a three-quarter-acre parcel. I