Gino's Brass Rail
The new location also brought a new name: Gino's Brass Rail, which held its grand opening on Thursday, May 27, 1937.
The customer entrance of Gino's new Brass Rail faced Point Grove Road, and there were two side exit doors, one facing west and the other east. Windows along the back and on the side of the building provided spectacular views of Middle Pond.
Due to the building's location, patrons were treated to refreshing lake breezes and crosswinds when the doors and windows were open, giving Gino one leg up on his competition, which there was a lot of with the lake being a popular tourist destination, flooded with folks escaping the summer heat and those looking for a good time.
The Brass Rail first opened on a seasonal basis. It quickly became known for its authentic Italian dinners and entertaining floor shows. As its popularity rose, it opened year-round, hosting special events and big celebrations, like its annual Halloween party and New Year's Eve gala. And because its new location was on Middle Pond, patrons could swim, fish, and boat.
In late 1937, the owners of Gino's Brass Rail added a Willis Carrier air conditioning plant and reopened it as Gino's New Brass Rail. Gino's "man-made weather" was an instant hit with patrons.
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| Gino's Brass Rail circa 1945 (original photo from the author's personal collection) |
Matthew Moziek* opened the original Brass Rail (circa 1934) in a two-story framed building on Point Grove Road - next to the horse-powered merry-go-round Benjamin Babb built across the street from Balch's Beach. In addition to using the building's storage cellar, Matthew operated the Brass Rail out of three or four rooms on the first floor. The upstairs was presumably living quarters. (The Balch's Beach property stretched across Point Grove Road from Middle Pond to North Pond. Clayton Balch bought the property from Benjamin Babb. See Balch's Beach.)
Umberto Ghiandoni was instrumental in the opening of the Brass Rail. Gino married his daughter in 1935. (In his application for a liquor license in 1934, Matthew Moziek was listed as the proprietor of the Brass Rail. At the time, Gino's sister-in-law also sought a liquor license, but it is unclear if it was for the Brass Rail. Neither appeared at their licensing hearing.)
Trouble struck in 1939 when William P. Marcoullier, the owner of the Balch's Beach property, started dividing it up and selling off portions without honoring his leaseholders' first right to purchase; the move prompted them to sue him. (Marcoullier operated Balch's Beach under contract before winning it at a foreclosure auction in 1935. He outbid Benjamin Babb, who held Clayton Balch's first mortgage.)
Marcoullier sold the building that Gino's New Brass Rail was operating out of to Louisa Gaviloi, owner of Domenick's Spaghetti House on Point Grove Road. (See Domenick's Spaghetti House.)
Some believe Marcoullier made a land deal with Gino to satisfy the parties involved and settle out of court. Whether that is true or not is unknown. What is known is that Gino obtained property on Point Grove Road from Benjamin Babb's daughter, Eva L. Machesney, in 1939, following her father's death in February.
Later that same year, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted Gino, his father-in-law Umberto Ghiandoni, and Sylvia M. Figoni a charter of incorporation for the Brass Rail of Southwick, Inc. And in 1940-1, the trio constructed a beautiful new building across the street on a property adjacent to North Pond, where Gino would relocate his namesake Brass Rail.
Gino's Brass Rail held its formal opening on Wednesday, December 10, 1941. The glamorous event featured special deluxe Italian dinners, dancing to live music, burlesque, and more. The rotating roster of live entertainment included Harry Taylor and his Cupie Dolls, Karl Rohde and his orchestra, The Manhattans Ballroom Team, and the Beef Trust Revue direct from the New York World's Fair and the San Francisco Exposition.
Gino's Brass Rail passed into the hands of the corporation on December 17, 1942. The corporation gave Gino a mortgage of $17,750; the corporation's attorney, John J. Figoni, processed the transaction.
Meanwhile, across the street, the Gaviolis opened the Anchor Cafe. After the Anchor relocated, the site became Snug Harbor, a popular night spot. (An early morning fire destroyed the beautiful Snug Harbor nightclub and restaurant on November 2, 1966. Flames shot hundreds of feet in the air, illuminating Middle Pond. The Harborette, a luncheonette next door to Snug Harbor, burned on August 9, 1966.)
Today, the site is a public boat ramp.
Several well-known bowlers and Southwick selectmen attended the grand opening, which featured a special total pinfall match between the Court Restaurant team and the Social and Progressive Club.
Legal troubles and drunken customers periodically plagued Gino's Brass Rail. One of the more interesting ones happened on February 22, 1953, when Michael Sokoloski of Simsbury, Connecticut, entered the Brass Rail at about 11:00 p.m.
Sokoloski was drunk, and when Gino refused to serve him, he pulled a revolver and shoved it into Gino's stomach. Patrons helped Gino wrestle the man to the floor, where they held him until Massachusetts State Police arrived. At least, that was Gino's story, according to troopers who arrived on the scene.
However, Sokoloski's attorney located a witness who said that the gun fell out of the drunk man's pocket and that he did not shove it into Gino's stomach. Troopers also confirmed that the gun was not loaded. A judge fined Sokoloski $15 for drunkenness. (Sokoloski had several run-ins with the law, including a drunk driving arrest in Granby, Connecticut, in 1958, an assault charge surrounding his estranged wife and her male friend in 1960, and threatening a police officer in 1979.)
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| Gino |
Louis "Gino" Boccasile died at Baystate Medical Center on September 29, 1978.
Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Working Titles: Gino's Brass Rail
*Names are sometimes spelled differently.
Matthew Moziek applied for a liquor license for the Brass Rail in 1934. But he never showed up to the hearing. He reapplied in 1935. Moziek's application listed him as proprietor of the Brass Rail. Antoinette* Boccasile had also applied, but it's unclear which establishment she was applying for. The Boccasiles owned property on Point Grove Road. There were various land transfers before 1935. (Out of respect to the passing of Antoinette's husband, Anthony, the Brass Rail closed on August 9, 1961.)
It appears that Matthew Moziek was a member of Junior Achievement. He was also very smart with electronics, electrical components, and woodworking. He won multiple awards for his work. Matthew was a youthful aviator, building model airplanes that could fly great distances. He received national honors for his record-breaking flights.
On August 21, 1933, Matthew won the senior division for Massachusetts in Fisher Body's third annual Craftsman's Guild for the coach he built. General Motors displayed Matthew's coach in their Detroit building. He may or may not have received $5,000 for his award-winning coach. (The Fisher brothers founded Fisher Body, an automobile coachbuilder, in Detroit in 1908. GM merged with Fisher Body in 1926. GM dissolved its Fisher Body Division in 1984 as part of its North American restructuring plan.)
Some sources say that Gino built his new Brass Rail on North Pond in 1945. However, that is not correct.
In 1932, a sheriff arrested Umberto Ghiandoni and his wife Palma (Genesi) for illegal liquor sales in Lee, Massachusetts. Following their arrest, the couple moved to Point Grove Road in Southwick, Massachusetts.
Umberto Ghiandoni (1937)and Matthew Moziek
Umberto Ghiandoni: 4/4/1880 - 12/5/1951 (Gino's father-in-law)
Palma (Genesi) Ghiandoni died on December 5, 1954.
The Brass Rail closed for the day on December 7, 1951 out of respect for Mr. Ghiandoni's passing.
Gino owned part of the property that Depot Court sits on today.
Eva Lucy (Babb) Machesney 11/23/1892 - 4/15/1976. (A judge granted Eva a divorce in 1939 on grounds of desertion. She and her husband, Michael, separated on July 26, 1933. They were married on April 17, 1912.)
On October 8, 1945, at about 4:00 a.m., Massachusetts State Police arrested a Chicopee man who broke into The Anchor. The man broke a window in the door. The shattering glass woke Domenick, who was sleeping in the living quarters. Police arrived on the scene and found the man sound asleep in one of the booths.
A judge sentenced a 14-year-old boy to the Lyman School for Boys on August 20, 1943. The boy and his 10-year-old accomplice broke into the Brass Rail, The Anchor, and Blue Star Filling Station. Massachusetts State Police arrested the youngsters after they broke into Ruth Trench's house in Southwick - for the fifth time.
In 1938, Frank Adamski (26) slipped or dove backwaters off the waterwheel at Balch's Beach, breaking his neck. Witnesses took him to the Brass Rail until help could arrive. He died two days later.
George L. Katt, the Brass Rail's head waiter, enlisted in the United States Army on March 16, 1941.
Fire tore through the Harborette, a luncheonette next to the Snug Harbor nightclub and restaurant, around 5:25 a.m. on August 9, 1966.
At 2:00 a.m. on November 2, 1966, Al Hepburn of Point Grove Road reported a fire at the Snug Harbor nightclub and restaurant. The Southwick Fire Department responded. They had to use all four pieces of the department's fire-fighting equipment to fight the stubborn blaze, which they gained control of around 4:00 a.m.
The Southwick Bicentennial incorrectly states that the Snug Harbor fire occurred in 1963.
Pleasure driving was banned for a time, thanks to the gasoline and rubber shortages brought on by World War II. On June 10, 1943, about 30 alleged violators appeared for an informal public hearing before the rationing board's hearing commissioner in Springfield. Among them was Isidore Phaneuf, who someone spotted at the Brass Rail.
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| Antoinette Boccasile |
On February 20, 1942, Fred Nardi assaulted Gino inside the Brass Rail. Nardi first pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and causing a disturbance. However, he later pleaded guilty and was forced to make restitution for the damages he caused to the establishment and for breaking Gino's front tooth. Nardi later ran for public office on the Democrat ticket in Agawam. (A snowstorm may or may not have delayed the trial.)
In 1963, a patron sued Gino and the Brass Rail for injuries she claimed she received on June 25, 1962, when she was thrown to the ground by another customer who was also named in the $15,000.00 lawsuit.
In 1976, someone broke into the Ebb's Corner Market (owned by Gino) and stole $1,045 worth of cigarettes.
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