The Starbucks in Government Center once buzzed with baristas calling out orders and a steady stream of customers pushing through its doors. Now the lights are dark — but the giant steaming brass kettle hanging above will stay, the building’s owner said Monday.

As nearly 20 Starbucks locations closed over the weekend in the Greater Boston area, amidst the company’s restructuring , questions swirled over what would happen to the iconic steaming kettle.

The steaming kettle, made as a publicity stunt for Oriental Tea in 1873, was a fixture in Scollay Square until it moved to its current location at 65 Court St. in the 1960s. It overlooked the construction of City Hall, and sat above a Croissant Du Jour and a Coffee Connection until the storefront became a Starbucks in 1997.

The buildi

See Full Page