Best-kept secret is kept to the end - A piece of ‘old Goshen' to close

Goshen — Imagine a restaurant that opens only two nights a week, never advertises, is well-hidden at the end of a dead-end street, and has a name that camouflages its identity — and yet is usually so packed every Friday and Saturday night that people have to be turned away. “Where else could you find prices like these?” exclaimed one patron, pointing at the Lakeville Inn menu. Her husband added, “Not only do the same people come practically every weekend to eat here, but you most likely will find them sitting at the same table each week.” The Lakeville Inn doesn’t have fancy food, although people rave about the au gratin potatoes. The décor is simple, rustic with two stone fireplaces, with Victorian elements. The small, efficient staff — all members of the Gabella family — works together to give the locals what they come for every week: a slice of one of the last bits of old Goshen — a place that hasn’t changed in over 30 years, and hasn’t given way to the more affluent population that has since moved to town. Every weekend at “the Lakeville,” as it is affectionately known, is like a big family party where everybody knows everyone else. If you want to see born-and-raised Goshenites, you will find them here. The only way newcomers ever find out about the Lakeville is through one of the regulars — like the Nortons, the Lanes, the Garlings, the Bogarts, the Goosses, the Straubs, and the Jonases. A long history A little binder with the history of the building can be found at the bar where the only non-family staff member, Tom Frye, enjoys serving drinks. The building, which also serves as the Gabella’s home, was once bought from Eleanor Carpenter, the first known owner, by Gabriel Wood in 1851 for $305. It came with land that stretched from the other side of Route 17 (the Quickway) to Phillipsburgh Road. Cornelius and Esther Macardell bought the building in 1885 and kept it as a mansion before selling it in 1888 to Jesse A. Holbert, who started a dairy farm. Frederick Norton bought it in 1915 and left it in his will to William P. Norton, who ran it with his brother George in 1917. A year after William Norton was killed in World War I, Theodore Dougherty bought the property and continued it as a dairy farm although he lived in New York City during the winter, when it was it cared for by the Goode family. In July 1925, it was sold to William F. Phelan, but by August it was resold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. The rear wall of one of the dining rooms includes remnants of the small chapel-shaped enclave added to provide an altar. The Dominican Sisters moved in for a while under the diocese’s ownership. The diocese remained after Casimir Darensod and Martin Braglio of New York City bought the home and turned it into a resort. A lake was used for boating, and a tennis court and pool were added. After staying there as guests, Albert and Rose Gabella bought the resort in 1952, and turned it into a restaurant and hotel. Their son Albert is the present owner, and his wife, Carol, now cooks in the same kitchen where his mother once cooked. His daughter Laura waits tables, and Albert is the hardworking maitre’d. They live in the 15-room apartment upstairs, where previous owners found animal heads and skins left by the owners before them. The restaurant’s office, once a library, contained 800 books. The property on which John S. Burke Catholic High School now stands is still part of the original estate. It had been rumored for at least three years that Albert Gabella was looking to sell the business and the land. He has health problems that make it more and more difficult to run the restaurant. The rumors have now been confirmed. Monsignor James Byrnes, Principal of John S. Burke for six years, confirmed this week that John S. Burke and Gabella came to an agreement. In June of this year, the restaurant will close, and the property will become one parcel once again and property of the diocese. Monsignor Byrnes said the school does not plan to develop the property and will use the open space for more ballfields. The building will remain intact for as long as it is sound, which he says it is. He did not rule out the possibility of renting the building to another restaurant owner. The building has been grandfathered into Goshen’s 1950s building code, making unnecessary major renovations to bring it into compliance with the present code. But whatever the future holds, the restaurant will be missed. As bartender Tom Frye said, “Where will we be without the old Lakeville Inn?”