'They were from people coming here from the same places they do today, Boston and New York,' Gavin said. George Boardman began construction on the lodging house on land his father bought in 1881 that was associated with a block ice business next door, what is now the Cork 'N Hearth Restaurant, according to local archives at the Lee Library.īarry and Gavin got a glimpse into those early days when they found several letters sent to Board in 1913 seeking reservations that year. Charges against the couple were dismissed in November 2015. The couple originally listed the property for sale for just less than $1 million in November 2013, more than a year after their initial court case in which they were accused of offering sex for sale at the inn. TD Bank took over the inn from Thomas Fusco and Tara Viola after the financial institution failed last fall to sell it at an open auction. Known as Laurel Lake House when it opened in 1900, the inn reached its heyday after World War II when the inn attracted the Tanglewood crowd, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Barry managed Mazzeo's Ristorante for five years and Gavin helped run Mazcot's Sports Bar & Grill for two years, before both left those positions to undertake the rebirth of the inn.īarry and Gavin are the fifth owners of The Inn at Laurel Lake since it was built by the Boardman family at the turn of the 19th century.

The couple in their mid-20s may be newcomers to the lodging industry, but they have a hospitality background, albeit in local restaurants.

'We were lucky, because my dad (Bill Barry) is an engineer so we knew what we were getting into,' Maggie Barry said. The couple were well-aware of the necessary structural improvements before they bought the 115-year-old inn. Gavin said the heavy lifting came when the three-story structure had to be jacked up - as much as six inches in some places - and reenforced in order to make the inn level. The restoration started with the removal of modern day siding that covered up the original wooden clapboards,' surprisingly well protected,' according to Barry. 'We were still painting outside,' Barry said.

The recent unseasonably mild, dry weather - a curse for winter enthusiasts - has been a blessing for the innkeepers timetable. Barry and Gavin expect the project, financed by the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, will be completed by early spring, with the inn ready to accept Berkshire visitors in late April or early May.

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