Here's your chance to dine with a 'friendly' ghost at historic Spring House

With spooky season underway, Spring House is offering a haunted dining experience.

Located inside of a 230-year-old residence in Tenafly, the recently opened restaurant, bar and social club is inviting guests to enjoy a very “spirited” evening at the eatery.Since the restaurant took over the historic Demarest-Lyle House and updated the property, staffers and patrons say they’ve become acquainted with a friendly apparition believed to be a woman who lived in the home back in the early 1900s.

Built in 1794, both the state and national historic registers list the property. In 1866, philanthropist John Lyle purchased it and transformed the modest, one-and-a-half story sandstone and wood farmhouse into a Swiss chalet-style suburban home.

After the death of the Lyle heirs in the early 20th century and a period of use as a rental property, Tenafly purchased the property at auction in 1940. The borough used most of the property to build new municipal facilities and sold off the house.

In 1990, Tenafly repurchased the home in hopes of using it as office space. However, due to the high cost of rehabilitation, it sat vacant and subject to vandalism and deterioration. The township again listed the building for sale in 1997. Following extensive rehabilitation by the new owners, the house became occupied in late 2000 as professional office space.

Don't be afraid

Jonathan Krieger is founder and CEO of Cure Cos., the venture development group that launched Spring House. “A female ghost has been a constant in Spring House’s history," he said. "During this century and prior to the site being a restaurant, it was a day care business. Several children felt her presence strongly. Some saw her, some heard her and some had actual conversations with her. And it wasn’t just the children, several adults also confirmed her presence. The restaurant staff has had similar experiences.”

“The ghost’s presence is strongest upstairs, after sundown. It typically happens via the lights in the Lyle Lounge, Spring House’s upstairs speakeasy, with the lights flickering, especially when she’s being spoken about. In the evening when you walk up the stairs you can definitely feel a presence and it’s always a very warm, positive feeling,” he explained.

Krieger believes the ghost is Julia Lyle. The wife of John Lyle, she became widowed at the age of 34, three years after their marriage.

“Perhaps that explains her loneliness and her desire to fill the home with people who convene to laugh, converse and enjoy a delicious meal, just like her own family was able to do when the Demarest-Lyle house was the family homestead,” Krieger said.

Higher power

When he sought a location for Spring House, Krieger said the architectural details and proximity to his own home in Tenafly drew him to the Demarest-Lyle House.

“It wasn’t until after I signed the deal that I realized that there might have been forces greater than myself drawing me to this place; as I mentioned, the original inhabitants of the Demarest-Lyle House were John and Julia Lyle my name is Jonathan and my wife’s is Julia,” he said.

It wasn’t until after I signed the deal that I realized that there might have been forces greater than myself drawing me to this place ...

Jonathan Krieger , founder and CEO of Cure Companies

Krieger went on to say, “When I set out to establish Spring House, my vision was to create a destination, a gathering place where a real sense of community would be created. We have been open less than a year, but in these few early months we’ve seen locals returning again and again, bringing friends and neighbors because they say they just feel comfortable here.”

“In addition, we are drawing guests from beyond our borders so this ‘desire to be surrounded by people’ is something that not only she desires, but it is shared by our present-day clientele, and we’ve been able to deliver that experience time and time again,” he said.

Getting in the spirit

Spring House also unveiled two drink specials in honor of Halloween: Beet the Devil's Garden and Midnight Pumpkin Patch.

For reservations, click here . The restaurant recommends requesting seating in the Lyle Lounge or upstairs dining room “to experience the ghost’s presence.”

Spring House is open Tuesday through Sunday. The bar opens at 4 p.m. and dinner service starts at 4:30 p.m.

The menu at the “sophisticated yet casual” establishment includes classic cocktails, signature libations, light bites and “seasonally sourced yet globally inspired." Spring House offers various dining and drinking experiences, such as a retro bar, supper club and secluded cocktail lounge.

There’s also spacious outdoor patio named after Julia Lyle, the Lady Jules Garden Bar.

Michelin-starred chef Pasquale Frola helms the kitchen. Frola's culinary pedigree includes training in Italy, France, Germany and England. Previously, he worked for Silversea Cruises, a leading luxury cruise line. There, under his direction, the eatery became the only restaurant on a cruise ship to earn a Michelin Star.

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