An eye-catching building in nondescript industrial Bohemia, Long Island, the Normandie Inn at Lakeland Avenue and Smithtown Boulevard stands especially distinct along the busy main road at an oddly-shaped corner. Reportedly built in the Roaring Twenties for Czech royalty, the Gothic-meets-Tudor-aesthetic building had many lives: as a residence for the unnamed Czech baron; as the Hotel Chateau La Boheme; and as a speakeasy during the Prohibition -- and that was just in its first decade. It served as a restaurant and inn up until the early 2000s, until it fell into disrepair and abandonment.
Today, it is owned by Nick and Rosalba Campitiello, who dream of restoring the historic home to its former grandeur. Interior designers, the couple plan to retain the building's Gothic theme while transforming it to an interior design studio and showroom, and hope to rename the 10,000 square foot premises East End at the Normandie when complete.
Widely considered haunted, the urban legend unfortunately does nothing to repel vandals, thieves, and litterers, as the couple can attest after suffering a loss of two hand-carved medieval warriors valued at $50,000 combined and picking up trash regularly.
Since this is still a privately owned property, not much research has been done in terms of paranormal investigation, but rumor has it that a young girl was brutally strangled to death on the second floor's back bedroom in the Normandie Inn's speakeasy days. Guests at the inn before its abandonment make claims of unexplained knocking, cold spots, the whispering voice of a young woman, shadow people; past staff have complained about footprints appearing on the carpet unexplainedly and the ringing of service bells where the sources could not be traced.
A more grisly report says that a pile of bones were found in the basement, but when renovation staff went to seek advice, the bones were gone by the time they returned.
The current owners feel that the tall tales just add more spice to their building, and have been working to restore it for the past five years. Perhaps in the next few years, the historical uniqueness of the property can once again be enjoyed by the public.
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