Abandoned Hotels of the Catskills Borscht Belt
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By Jonathan Haeber
Indoor Pool at Grossinger's
I had first read about the Catskills in an Art Spiegelman graphic novel. It was – perhaps satirically – depicted as a place of rest for the father in the story of Maus. The significance of the Catskills is not to be overlooked. Its history, its culture, and what it represents to our changing attitudes about the world, and our relationship with place — all of it could be made into a novel.
In fact, more than one novel has made its central subject the Castkill Mountains. It was the Borscht Belt. It was where Jewish Northeasterners sojourned. It was even where the Hudson School of Art began, and where Thomas Cole found his inspiration. What was its draw? What made it appealing to the rising class of Jewish immigrants who had finally achieved success in the shores of the Eastern Seaboard?
The Grossinger Terrace Room in its Hey-day
Today, such escapes can’t exist. They are no longer relevant, nor are they economically sustainable. When a JetBlue flight to Las Vegas costs about the same as a drive to the Mecca of early 20th-century Jewish leisure, one can easily assume that one or the other will fall by the way-side. Chances are, it’s the one that is closer to home that becomes disposable.
By the mid-90s, the vast majority of the 1100 Borscht Belt hotels had become history. Jerry Seinfeld, who was once a regular in the comedy clubs of the area’s resorts, had moved on to network TV. The areas of Sullivan County that were once the centerpiece of Jewish-American leisure could not compete with Florida, Hawaii, The Caribbean, or California.
It was at Grossinger’s Hotel that the very representation of this tragic loss became all-the-more-apparent. Today, the only thing being maintained on resort that dates back to the 19th century are the greens of the golf course. The sprawling complex of 35 buildings, 1200 acres, and once host to 150,000 guests a year, has become an eyesore of the past after closing in 1986.
The Outdoor Olympic Pool at Grossinger's in the 60s
The Grossinger Outdoor Pool Today
There is no longer an active hotel; no outdoor olympic-size swimming facility; no lounge that hosts the high-dollar comedians of their day. There is only a 1/4-full green moss-ridden pool, surrounded by invasive indoor ferns. The burgundy and white tiles are merely a vestige. Fern and freezing-and-melting water become the centerpiece of a once-grand swimming facility. Only the lounge chairs remain as they were 20 years ago, when Grossinger’s had closed its doors once and for forever.
Maus, Catskills and Spiegelman
Reconstructing the Catskills
By Jonathan Haeber
Author & Photographer of this article
Paperback, 8″ x 7.5″, 60 pages, color photos
$20.00 — ISBN 978-0-9772742-8-4
A poignant look at the most famous resort in the Catskills. A full narrative of the history of Grossinger’s as told through 26 vivid, color images and 8 short chapters. Learn about the importance and significance of this once-bustling, but now abandoned, Catskills institution. Learn More >>
I have always held a high reverence for the Catskills. Few people I know had heard of the place. Perhaps it was the single frame that Spiegelman sketched of the place that attracted my imagination. There was something in the fact that it was a destination of escapism, and it was also a place – fantastical as it had become – that was the very antithesis of the horrors and the atrocities of Nazi Germany.
Drawing from old postcards, and trying to reconstruct in my mind the joy and the memories of these Catskills is a poor substitute to actually being in the place at its ap0gee. My journey to these mountains was limited to a few hours – for my jet flight back to the West was leaving the following morning. But the few hours I was there bended my mind and fractured my own notion of any sort of dimension.
Deep under the boiler house of Grossinger’s, for example, one of the largest of the Borscht Belt resorts, I discovered an intricate system of man-made tunnels that snaked and kitty-cornered under the grand dining room of the hotel. It seemed to be a massive, underground refrigerator or cold-storage area, but it literally occupied a football field’s worth of underground space. Walls collapsed into each other. Ceilings succumbed to the enormous weight of the hotel above me. In certain places, the floors above me had turned into empty holes where one could stare high into the empty spaces of the higher floors after emerging from the dark recesses of the cavernous cold storage room underground.
The Hidden Tunnel at Grossinger's
Walking up to the remains of the skating rank, I encountered a left-behind pair of ice skates, children’s mittens, and a cap – all of which looked to be at least 25 years old. And in the grand wood-paneled lobby, I saw the opulence reduced to a decaying mess of soggy drywall and mossy cement.
Grossinger’s was certainly a headliner among the Catskills hotels, but the Tamarack Lodge came in as an interesting mid-tier alternative.
Experiencing Grossinger’s Hotel After its Decline
There is nothing that will ever match my experience at Grossinger’s. I’m sure that I will never again see anything quite like it. Ironically, these resorts declined as a result – in part because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Before the landmark declaration, many Jews were either implicitly or explicitly not allowed in upscale resorts outside of the Catskills. By the time this occurred, rail service began cutting service to the area, and the jet era was about to begin. A younger generation of Jews had chosen other destinations for vacationing, and the old generation found themselves largely retiring to Florida.
Video Documenting the End of the Catskills Era
And, as a final farewell, just this last spring one of the greatest hotels of the regions was demolished. The Concord was the largest hotel in the Borscht Belt region, and had closed after serving “sumptuous kosher dining” in its 3,000-seat dining room for five decades.Today, many hotels are slated to become Indian gaming casinos – ironically serving another culture just as they once had for half a century.
The Catskills Tamarack Lodge Pool
The Catskills may no longer attract sweeping artistic movements; these mountains my no longer be the sojourn of a post-WWII community battered by the horrrors of bigotry. Downtown, in Liberty, or East Falbrook, Kiamesha, or Bethel – you won’t see the glowing marquee of a matinee or the bright lights of kosher restaurants. But underneath the branches of pine and ash trees, you might just be walking on the old remains of a skating rink or olympic swimming pool. If you do, just imagine what it was like years ago, when this place was a seasonal escape from the crowded hustle of New York City.
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This is a great site. I spent many summers in Smallwood, NY right near White Lake and Kauneonga Lake. My grandfather Sam Halpern owned a small “hotel” near the Stevensville. I think it was called YOung’s Guest House. As I got older, we went to Sadownick’s Bungalow Colony in Monticello and later on my parents owned a bungalow in Charm Estates in Thompsonville. Does anyone know of Young’s Guest House?
flo
you are 1 step ahead of me.
bill
There was a Young’s Gap Hotel. I wonder if there is any relation to Young’s Guest House?
grew up in new york which meant summers in the mountains. started at a tiny farm called efromsons my mom dad and brother shared a room in a big house where we also shared bi kitchen learned to fish on morningside lake with my grandpa dug for worms, picked apples in the orchard, walked all over that area picking bluberrries thwn grandma made blueberry pie. a great time of my life. then we upgraded to dingledaisy bungalows where thete was a great lake fo pickeral also had a lot of fun working in the daycamp. then spent the next 6 years in a bungalow at the swwanlake hotel played on the hotel basketball team where we played the best teams in the catskills we did very well. last 2 yrs became busboy and learned to bet on the harness horses at monticllo raceway. these years were the greatest of my life anyone remember me drop me a line
my e mail is schach121@aol.com
I am sitting in my vacation cabin in the heart of the Blue Ride Mt.s on the Virginia, West Va. border. My parents long deceased came o to New York City from Russia and both began to work for the City of New York. I recall my folks saving as much as they could during the year so we could go to The Concord or Grossingers for two weeks in the summers. I also remember a singles weekend at the Concord where I met my wife of some 40 years who loves the mountains as much as I do. I may be getting too old, but it is difficult for me to understand why these wonderful resorts could not keep up with the new customer base. I do not think it was a matter of competition from Miami or Vegas, I think that m,y generation the first to be born and raised in The U.S> from German and Russian Jewish immigrants simply want to move from our roots and no be seen as a part of the older immigrant population. It is a shame, because in our times now in the post 9/11 world I could think of nothing more relaxing than walking into the dining room of one of these grand relics and eating a wonderful meal to be followed by a classy show and a few drinks. I wish my children and grand children could have the experience, but like so many other things time has eroded these wonderful hotels to faded photos. Thanks for the web site, it brought back wonderful memories.
2nd time writing. Anyone know Sam and Rose Halpern? My grandparents owned Young’s Guest House in Swan Lake. My parents were Mike and Bea Halpern. They were friendly with the Woda (Sam) family. I think the hotel was on Kelly Bridge Road in Swan Lake. My email is fdo624@aol.com.
I clearly remember the Catskills, namely The Concord. It was an institution where I worked as a bellhop during the summers of 1964, 1965 and 1966. That was some glorious institution. I remember the Parker family: Robert, George & Jimmy and their parents, Ray & Clara. I remember the strike the folks in the dining room had, and were probably not wrong then. Way in the wind, Ray Parker drove up in his elegant but filthy ’63 black Cadillac Fleetwood, with a cigar in his mouth, and some soft-spoken words which seem to quell the flaring. I remember taking Sammy Davis Jr. to Monticello after working the Night Owl Lounge, for some bagel and coffee. He was a gentleman who was very good to the help who took care of him. We all hoped to see Sammy every week if we could.
I remember Phil Greenwald who booked all the entertainment, and Bob DeWitt who was the Maitre D of the Night Club. I even remember a guy who worked so hard as a cocktail waiter in the Night Owl Lounge, to make a buck…Georgie Lipkowitz…I felt sorry for him but not after I found out that he owned a huge bungalow colony on Rte 17 between Monticello and Liberty!
One of the fellows I befriended was a resident FBI agent, SA Joe Yablonsky. He had a bungalow on the perimeter of the premises and I suppose did investigations which would warrant his presence at the hotel. He was assigned there for several years and because a friend of most of the main floor employees. Years later I was watching David Susskind on tv and Joe was the interviewee, having advanced to the head of the FBI’s Las Vegas office.
One summer some of us were asked to assist the Jam Handy Corporation (a division of GM) to bring up the new cars into the Greek rooms and to set them up. In order to do it, we had to join the union which cost $9.00, which I just paid and forgot about it. For the two-day job, I was paid $275.00, and that was back in 1966. I’ll never forget that. That was the money I made for a week’s back-breaking work as a bell hop!
And then there was that nutsy guy who throws confetti all over the place…Rip Taylor. I remember taking him several times after his show to NYC in the back of my ’65 Volkswagen Beetle. I wonder if he was ever so popular after those trips!
Food for the staff was served by two refugees, Izzi and Joe. They served the worst stuff, causing me to hop down to Lefty’s on Rte 42 for a few delicious hamburgers.
I’m sure there is much more to say, but my fingers are getting tired. Anybody interested in reminiscing can contact me at alphapromo@aol.com, and just use the Subject line: CONCORD.
love this site!
Is there information on Schenk’s Paramount Hotel and photos etc? My Great grandfather was involved in that hotel.. His name was Ben Schenk,,,
I spent many summers in Livingston Manor (Manor Green Acres) and South Fallsberg (Edelman’s). I worked at the Saxony, The Flagler, and others whose names I have long forgotten. Wonderful times!
Warren
I drove past the Concord this Summer. It was heart breaking to see anything connected with the Hotel gone. It was a wonderful place that will live on in my memories. Oddly, the bimmi bar down the road where the alcoholic dishwashers and cleaning staff would go is boarded up. Some of the last people stayed in the workers bungalows across the street. They were torn down to prevent the homeless workers from staying there.
My years in the hotel come up in odd places. I was visiting family in Guyana and made myself a classic cherry lime rickey. The kids grabbed it before I could get near it. My daughter doesn’t understand where I learned to cook. I explained how I learned in a huge hotel named the Concord. When I meet and greet people in the office old timers recognize the Catskills humor.
Sadly Kutshers is the only one left. Someone opened Stevensville a few years back and couldn’t make it go.
They were wonderful icons of a forgotten time. Yet it is cheaper for me to spend a week in the jungle then to go to the Catskills. I guess my desire for adventure is more powerful then nostalgia.
Hello everyone,
This is a fabulous site! I’m wondering if anyone remembers a hotel in the town of Leeds/Catskill/Athens on Potic Mountain Road, called Perigoni’s. it was owned by the Perigoni family. They had a 3 story hotel, a pool, several cabins and a meeting place with a baby grand piano, restaurant and kitchen. Anyone remember this place? Thanks for sharing your memories!
Joanne
I was in at a fat farm in Napanoch, NY in the summer of 1969 at the time of Woodstock. We could see the throngs of concert goers pass by our camp.
Does anyone remember Camp Napanoch or know of the town. It would be fun to reconnect.
Missy Belfay
beauleaf4@yahoo.com