Abandoned Hotels of the Catskills Borscht Belt
Show on mapBy 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
An Abandoned Desk at the Jennie G Building in the Catskills
Reconstructing the Catskills
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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October 28th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Phenomenal! It’s like the North Lake Tahoe of yore on the East Coast. Amazing!
October 28th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
The photos are really amazing, and the ones on flickr tell even more of the story. Excellent.
October 28th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Thanks you two. I plan on writing about the “other” new york location eventually. Hopefully it’ll be just as interesting.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Jonathan, can you please get in touch with me? please email me back. It’s about your Catskills photos. They truly amazing! Please get in touch with me.
November 15th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Damn, Nice write up dude!
That was definetly a fun day.
I was waiting to see these.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Great article, Jon!
December 11th, 2008 at 8:39 am
How did you get into the Tamarack?
We have explored Grossingers, The Pines, and The Heiden.
December 24th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Awesome. You should know that Jews still flock there – google Jewish Camps in the Catzkills…
January 5th, 2009 at 6:10 am
[...] Abandoned Hotels of the Borscht Belt [...]
January 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
you say today…… is it still there… I know that many of these hotels were demolished
January 18th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Oh yes, Max, it is still there. The Concord is demolished as are a few others, but Grossinger’s remains largely how it was in the 80s.
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
my family the levine family stated they owened the kiamesha rest hotel in the 40.s which later
became the concord please advise if this factual as i can not locate history thanks
b feldman
May 10th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Great site with some truly fascinating writeups. You have managed to present industrial archeaology in a much more mature and interesting light that the ‘kidults’ of the ‘urbex’ scene.
Regarding the Catskills hotels. One of the lesser-known mentions is by Harold Robbins in, “A Stone For Danny Fisher”. Set in the 20′s and 30′s, the protagonist is employed as a teenaged busboy at such a place. Also, British comic writer Howard Jacobson, in “Roots Schmoots: Journeys Amongst Jews”, writes of a visit to one of the last of these hotels in the late 1980′s – very funny!
May 20th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I grew up in Kingston and had relatives we visited in Monticello and Ferndale every spring. Then after I moved to Western NY I became a volunteer firefighter. I made 7 trips to the Concord for the NY State Chiefs Conventions. It is so sad that those grand old hotels are gone. I have been told that the Seneca Nation of Indians has taken over the Grossingers property and plan to put in a race track and casino. It would be great to see life in that area again although it will never be what it was. A judge friend of mine goes to the Nevele every year for a magistrates gathering. I remember my mother being so excited because she saw Buddy Hackette at one of the hotels and my senior class banquet was held at the Grossingers in 1967. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend. You all have presented a wonderful batch of memories for me with your pictures and websites. Don’t let them go away. Make sure these pages are preserved forever. Never again will those grand old days happen again.
May 25th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
as a jewish kid from queens the catskills will always be in my bones. i went to college there, i was a waiter at the concord and the alladin. the people i met there i will always remember when i was about 11 i stayed at a bungalow colony and it was in my bones for ever. i truely miss those days.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:55 am
When these Hotels started to close up, it broke my heart. I ran Louis Tannen Magic Jubilee for 39 years. We would come up-state the first weekend in Oct. to catch the color changing leaves, and spend probably the best magic weekend ever.Lets see…23 years at Browns, 10 years at Kutshers. 5 years at the Concord,1 year at the old Stevensville. Mrs Brown always called me Mr. Magic. In 1976 David Copperfield made his first appearance Saturday night and received a standing ovation for some 20 minutes by over 1600 in attendance, the next year he made his first TV appearance, and the rest is history. We had magicians from all over the world attend. Japan, Germany, France, England, Italy. They were amazed that the dining rooms could serve 3 meals a day, with all you can eat, every day. That was magic in itself.I retired from magic in 2003, and moved here to Sullivan County where I spent half of my life, and enjoyed every minute. Hoping if a casino does open, I might be able to present another Magic Jubilee. Tony Spina former President & CEO of Louis Tannen Inc.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Nice photos. I particularly like the Tamarac Lodge pool. I worked as a busboy and waiter there, and saw the Who perform there.
I don’t know how much more you’d like to explore the topic, but you might put out a general call for pictures and stories. There are probably people like myself who grew up there in the 50s and 60s who could help you (I don’t have any pictures or cards), and you might be able to talk to the children of some of the owners of resorts to get a better primary source view.
I’m ambivalent about the passing of that era (I no longer live near there). Except for the largest hotels and resorts, 80 to 90 percent of all activity took place in the two months between the Fourth of July and Labor Day. The rest of the year the locals did their daily work driving by the increasingly decrepit scenery. Recent visits there are encouraging – many of the dilapidated structures are gone, or absorbed the 40 years of forest regrowth, and it appears, once again, a truly verdant, peaceful place to be.
You should also note that these were exclusive places – they were not simply for Jews, but for the affluent (at least in the upper middle class sense). The NYC workers might make it to a bungalow colony or a kuchalayn for a month or two, and only be able to slip off for one night all summer at one of the ballrooms, if at all. The goyim and many of the local residents were more likely to be employed as temporary help. Not so nostalgic, or ideal.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Oh my. This is so sad, and bringing back so many memories. Even though i can hardly remember!
July 5th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
My wife and I honeymooned at Grossingers in March of ’64. They gave us the Bridal Suite (Sweat?) for goyim–a cramped room adjacent to that hidden tunnel and its sounds of banging pipes and things that go bump in the night. Even Jewish foreplay (three hours of begging) could not make up for the faux pas of a 22-year-old newly wedded groom who was too embarrassed to ask for an upgrade so he could consummate his marriage. (Fortunately, everything else was top-notch so all was not lost (no pun intended).
Experiencing the fading gentility of the Jewish Alps was one of the saddest experiences of our lives. I had attended a professional conference at the Concord in the 80′s and noticed the tired look of that facility. I was quickly convinced that “The Catskills” as I knew it would soon be history. The days of the hotels and “kuchalanes” in bungalow colonies; the challenge of making it up the Wurtzboro hill(and negotiating around packed,failing vehicles; and the mandatory travel-respites at The Big Apple Rest would just be a brief snapshot in landscape of Jewish culture.
July 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I feel like an “antique” since I remember the Catskills so well. I lived in The Bronx and went to so many hotels in the Catskills
that I can’t begin to write about all of them. I loved the Bungalow colonies where we met so many people “LIKE US” – Jewish
with kids. Those were such memorable days. When I was single I went there ‘to find maybe a husband”? I remember the food
(and bring this….for the table)! We consumed tons of great food, but never gained an ounce. Could it be because it was always Kosher food???? The entertainment was fabulous. Even in the bungalow colonies on Saturday nights! I live in Las Vegas now,
but the entertainment is not the same — it’s not ‘haymisha’ music and jokes. At the hotels and in the bungalow colonies, we played mah jongg at the pool and when you were out you went into the pool to cool off. Mahj as we call it now is played with 4-5 “girls” We take turns being “out”. Those days are so clear in my senior mind, altho’ sometimes my short-term memory fails me.
July 20th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I go upstate with my husband to the Catskills, and am learning it in my forties. I never had a chance as a child. We were lower middle class Jews, in Flushing, and there was no money. It is somewhat painful to see how the other half lived, but I kind of appreciate the note from John who expresses that these were the affluent Jews, not mutts like us getting by. My mother became a nurse, my father left, and I now go up to the Catskills and stay in places varying from high end spas to charming bed and breakfasts. I feel like I missed an era having parents that were kind of socially inept. This is the Dirty Dancing era, but my own Jerry Orbach didn’t give a rat’s ass about his Baby. I guess all these attendees lived in the Five Towns as well. It’s a great piece but certainly bittersweet. It is truly amazing how the earth eats everything up. Beautifully done.
July 21st, 2009 at 3:54 pm
A beautiful and sad site. I used to go to the New Roxy Hotel- My memories of my many summers there fill me with such delight. when I read the comments of others who went to the Catskills I am struck with what a powerful place and special place it was.
August 29th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I grew up around the Ellenville,NY area. My prom was held at the Tamarack. My father & his brother were bartenders for Grossinger’s in the 60′s. It hits hard at home for me. The Mohonk Mt.house resort at least will holds it’s grandeur for being one of the top notch Catskill resorts still running even though all the rest have fallen. I’m a little surprised not to see other resorts mentioned ( Sorry for rambling on. I had forgotten this article was on the Borscht belt resorts that died.)Nevertheless thank you for this article.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:40 am
Does anybody remember the Kanco Hotel in Ferndale, any old pictures?
October 15th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Hi does any one know is still standing as of 10/12/09 ? Jerry
November 11th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Does anyone remember the Majestic Hotel in South Fallsburg ?
November 13th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I’m trying to find the grand daughter of man who was a manager of the New Roxie resort in the sixtis, Her name was Bonnie Rosen AKA Bonnie Gaylord His name I guess was Rosen also, and he was about 65 in the mid 60s We worked together as a singing duo.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Check out some photos of old Catskill Hotels that I took in 1979.
http://bobkaye.com/CatskillHotels/index.htm
December 15th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Bob,
Thank you for that! Those were incredible shots!
January 12th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
My parents owned the eldorado Hotel in South Fallsburg from 1958-1968
February 10th, 2010 at 3:32 am
Good work. Peak oil will make jet travel too expensive for most people within 10 years. A lot fewer people will be traveling long distances on vacation.
February 16th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
great site…does any one remember Bessie and Nathan Heller? they owned a string of hotels including the Empire,The Golden the claremore country club …..thet were my grandparents
February 17th, 2010 at 2:32 am
My grandparents and Cousins owned the KANCO Hotel.
My mother Dee Kanter and aunt Edith Kanter would love to hear from anyone with information regarding the hotel. If you worked there or visited. Please email me directly at bigberg1@gmail.com
The last time I was up to the grounds must have been over 25 years ago. I would love to find out what happened to the grounds.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Thanks for the short stroll down Memory Lane! My family and I spent many happy summers in Woodridge, South Fallsville and Ellenville: Sorin’s Bungalows, Levner’s Bungalows and the Monterey Hotel- assume all are gone now. It was a great place to grow up and I think about those days often. It’s sad, we spend the years 1959-65 there and it’s likely I can’t even go back and find any of these old places any longer.
Thanks and Happy Memories
March 20th, 2010 at 7:00 am
what wonderful times and memories.my dad owned a home in loch sheldrake near the lowenthal bungaolow colony. we would always sneak into either browns hotel or if we were lucky into hotel evans.tried sneaking into the concord through the workers entrance.i lived in sea gate for many years. would love to hear from old friends.
March 21st, 2010 at 3:20 am
Back in the 50′s, when I was breaking into show business, I’d do a 9 o’clock show at Gilberts, a 10 PM show at the Concord,a midnight show at Fialkoffs and a 2 AM show at Cutlers Cottages. In those years I worked every hotel and bungalow colony in the Catskills. In the 70′s, I was the emcee at the Pines Hotel for 5 years and and then went on to publish a magazine called Panorama that became a big hit in “the mountains”. Was also the founder and president of the “Entertainers” with annual big shows at the Concord, Grossingers, Browns, etc. Hosted and produced a syndicated tv show called Showtime In The Catskills on WPIX. The entertainers always brings a beautiful memories of “those were the days my friend”.
March 25th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Sadly, I was introduced to the Catskills in the mid 70′s, well into its decline. I stayed at Kutsher’s which still boasted its NBA summer all-star game, and later attended conventions at the Concord in the early 90′s just before it was to shut forever. You could see the ghosts of yesteryear coming out of the walls (or serving us our horrible meals). The second time, I chose to drive back and forth to Long Island vs. staying there overnight.
March 25th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Yes, I grew up in the mountains … in Monticello to be precise … however my life is a blessed life as you will realize. Yes, my great grandparents Moishe and Dora Levinson came from Russia to the Catskills at the turn of the century … to start a farm … land was cheap and the air was healthy and Greenfield Park outside of Ellenville seemed as good a spot as any. Max and Dora had 7 daughters and then the youngest was a boy Dave Levinson. The farm grew, but there was a basic problem … because most of the Catskill inhabitants were farmers, they thrived by trading goods, but how many cows would a shoemaker need … so you see it was extremely difficult for a farmer to trade for goods made by skilled craftsmen … they had no way to earn cash with which to buy things … so taking in boarders became that way … and Dave Levinson the 17 year old became the entreprenour who gradually built that little family farm into the 600 room hotel which became known as Tamarack Lodge. Ann do started my family’s life in the hotel business. Soon one of Dave’s sisters Rose Levinson Supon got the bug and bought into a hotel partnership with the Dinnerstein Brothers … a hotel which became known as the Stevensville Lake Hotel in Swan Lake …Rose was my grandmother. So my life was a normal happy life of a carefree boy with the additional benefit that I always had a hotel to go to … you see Moishe and Dora made Dave the condition that he could have his dream to own the little hotel and build it further if he always had the doors open to any relatives in need of a place to stay and food to eat. Dave was no fool, and soon every summer our relatives from across the country would come to stay for a while … and Dave put them all to work running the concessions, coffee shop, pool, tennis and handball courts and all the other activities and sundries … afterall, who could he trust more than his relatives. At ages 5 – 10, I would join my parents and sister and we would go to one of our “family’s hotels” to visit all our relatives … I just thought that all boys my age did the same. Later I lived and worked as a busboy or waiter at Tamarack … even to be fired and re-hired a few times. Later I learned how fortunate my life really was. Of course, the impact of the hotels on my life goes even further. At 5 I learned to swim at Stevensville, at 7 I went ice skating at Grossingers and met Eddy Fisher and Debbie Reynolds when they were married there, at 14 I caddied at the Concord for Buddy Hacket and Phil Silvers, and at 17 I worked at the Concord Ski Shop and taught skiing to Buddy Hacket and his beautiful and sweet wife. Essentially, I learned the ways of the world and all the fine values of life … and how to serve a customer … which I do to this day … and to think … I owe it all to the Catskills and to Grear Grandparents Moishe and Dora Levinson and to all their descendents …
March 25th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
wonderful memories of the Kanco Hotel in Ferndale. Many inter-hotel baseball games memories. Horseback riding trails. The Kanco Farm run by Mr. Cohen, when there were farm animals on site.
talent shows in the casino (before gambling) wonderful menue items, thick sour cream, plenty of belly lox, Onions, tomatoes, pickled herring, etc. before the advent of Nova Lox. wonderful days too many to mention. I could write a book. Love this web site. Thanks Jerry
April 4th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
The biggest “Schonda” of the closing of a majority of the once
small and large hotels, and bungelow colonies, is the demise
of a social atmosphere which (albeit catering to members of the Jewish faith/people)
served as a way of meeting greeting.
For those who were secular, being exposed to some “Jewishness” in the form
of kosher style food, entertainment ( good comedians became great comedians),
and simply the proximity of like minded people, served to keep our
people together.
We now are witnessing a polarization, from the ultra-Orthodox ( very
visable), to the progressive secular, with all it’s consequences.
The Catskill Mountain resorts and towns kept our people together.
Going to Reno, or New Jersey or Las Vegas just doesn’t have the
same “Schtick”.
In Ellenville, the Fallsview is no longer famous for it’s chopped
liver and orange blossom Friday nights., nor the fledgling singers
and comedians who learned their craft before moving on to
the big screen or Las Vegas. The Nevele sale is disputed due
to an ownership fight..and rumors are of a pending sale to
a company which may not have egg creams.
I left the area years ago, for greener (sic) pastures, but still
believe it can come back, changed, but still attractive.
Just seeing the “Gunks”, the ice caves, Sams Point and the view
below of the old Nevele, walking along one of the many creeks which
used to be great for fishing, and experiencing the dew in the mornings,
is a far change from the Hollywood and San Diego Freeways.
Somehow artificially placed Palm Trees will never replace the smell
of Pines or Maples. While Jerrys Deli has a larger menue, it still
cannot compare in the genuine atmosphere to the Fallsview’s dining room for
breakfast.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
For all those who knew and love the catskills, you will be happy to know that one of the original resorts, the Fallsview, has become Honor’s Haven Resort & Spa. Under new ownership, fully renovated, and only seeing success in the future. Such a historic location, updated for todays vacationers. I urge you to check it out and spread the word; the catskills AREN’T dead!
April 15th, 2010 at 7:02 am
BEST KWNOWN FOR BEING THE DINING ROOM CAPTAIN AT THE CONCORD FROM THE EARLY 80′S TIL THE CLOSING.I STARTED AT THE LEBOWITZ PINEVIEW HOTEL AS A BUSBOY.THEN THE ALADDIN,OLYMPIC,GIBBERS,AND STEVENSVILLE,ALL AS AN ON CALL SERVER FOR HOLIDAYS AND SUMMERS.I LIVED ON THE GROUNDS AT THE CONCORD AND CAN’T COMPARE THOSE DAYS TO ANY OTHER.I ALWAYS GOT ASKED IF IT WAS LIKE THE MOVIE DIRTY DANCING FOR ME.I WOULD REPLY THAT THE MOVIE WAS MICKEY MOUSE STUFF COMPARED TO US AT THE CONCORD(JUST A JOKE).SINGLES WEEKENDS WERE THE GREATEST TIMES OF ALL.IF NOT AT THE CONCORD, I WOULD GO TO THE TAMARACK,PINES,BROWNS,STEVENSVILLE AND EVEN GROSSINGERS TO FIND SINGLES WEEKENDS.ALSO WHO REMEMBERS MAMBO NIGHT AT THE RALEIGH.I DID NOT MISS ONE IN 8 YEARS!SINCE THEN I GRADUATED HOTEL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL AND BUSINESS SCHOOL AND MOVED TO SOUTH FLORIDA.I AM WORKING FOR ONE OF THE TOP WORLD CLASS HOTELS NOW AS A BANQUET CAPTAIN/MAITRE D’.I WALK IN THE EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE,DO MY WORK,AND WALK BACK OUT THE EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE.NOT VERY INTERESTING COMPARE TO THE GREATEST DAYS EVER IN WHAT WAS CALLED THE WORLDS FOREMOST RESORT AND SPORTS HOTEL-THE CONCORD.
April 15th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
THANK YOU for the tour, I’ve worked in the Activities & Entertainment departments of the Stevensville, the Pines, the Concord, the Fallsview and The Nevele, as well as several others through the 1980′s. I met so many wonderful co-workers, entertainers, and guests.., it truly makes it hard to complain to much. I was BLESSED to be a Non-Jew, in a Jew world (Not that theres anything wrong with that!). THANK YOU to all, and again, thanks for what was!!!
May 1st, 2010 at 3:31 am
I summered every year in Greenfield Park with my grandmother Fay that rented a bungalow yearly, right up the road from the Tamarack Lodge. We used to sneak into all the weekend shows there in the early to mid 1970s. I actually met the inimitable Miss Molly Picon there!I recall one afternoon that we watched in awe as the capricious 2 minute genius painter Morris Katz worked his magic, and even bought one of the paintings. The Tamarack has many spiritual connotations for me and a wonderful part of my childhood, I needed to sing some paeans about it – I just read tonight that paranomal investigators allege that the indoor pool area was haunted by the ghost of a murdered woman who lived there in in the early 50s. I never felt anything odd about the place, perhaps it is conjecture, albeit I do remember there never being a dull moment there. I am saddened that it is abandoned now and it’s next incarnation will be a native American museum site. I was planning on taking a trip up Old Route 52 to have another glimpse of the place, but it would never be the same. I remember going to camp across the road and the owner’s name was Heshy..In my recounting of this, I failed to remember the name of the camp, but I do remember winning a tug-o-war contest and being showered with candy..ironically today I am a diabetic hehe. What a gem this page is, I am so happy I have found it here in the Orwellian machine. Thank you ever so much!
May 6th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Thank you for the post and all of the wonderful comments that followed. My family owned the Waldemere Hotel in Livingston Manor. The days and night were pure magic that cannot be reproduced anywhere in the world. The memories of the people, the food and the smells of “the mountains” were unique to my generation and that of my parents. If you were there, or knew someone who was, or are just interested, see http://catskills.brown.edu/ It’s amazing!
May 7th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
My Dad booked entertainment for many of the hotel in the Catskills.My parents met in the Catskills back in the early 1930′s.. he was the MC and she was the girl singer!
I spent every Summer, and holiday, and special event at these hotels. All the special events in my young life were celebrated at the hotels.
It’s a time we shall never see again. You had to live it to understand it.
I miss the Catskills. I don’t live very far from upstate NY, but I try my hardest not to give into the urge and take drive up there. It’s too sad… ! Last time I did give in.. I went past the Concord…. it’s rubble… nothing there but the guards gate in the front. You would never have believed a city existed on that property and the Concord was a city within itself.
How lucky we were to have spent our youth in a carefree fun place. Either at my Grandparents bungalow colony or one of the famous Borscht Belt Hotels.
We sure were blessed
Candy
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I am trying to find the location of the Spring Lake Spa Hotel, which was a kosher weight loss camp, where I worked as a waitress in the summer of 1972. Does anyone know of it?
June 8th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I am making my dream come true, after7 years of my retirement. I produced 39 years of Jubilee’s at most of the hotels upstate, Browns, Kutshers, Concord, Stevensville..all memories now. But this August I am producing my first Jubilee since I retired, this August 13, 14, 14 2010 at the Holiday Inn in Fishkill NY. All the shows are booked and accepting reservations for a weekend of MAGIC and fun. Hoping to bring back many of the old memories of yesteryear. At 80, this is charging up my battery, and feel like a young man already Waking up in the morning, planing how to place the acts, lectures and close up performers for their appearance on the shows. Making phone calls all over the states seekingtop names in the magic field to attend. David Copperfield will be doing a phone interview from his new Island paradise. Expect it to be a “sellout” What beautiful memories are coming back to excite me, and the magic fans, who are many.
June 8th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
This is heartbreak – I’m 48 years old and was a ‘bungalow’ baby since I was 3. The hotels should be revived-even if there is no gambling – if you make the resorts ‘state of the art’ ‘I’ believe people would flock to the resorts – cheaper than flying and less stressful (let’s say – taking off your shoes, no liquids, etc.). I believe it’s ripe for Manhattanites and other New Yorkers to return to if it’s done exquisitely & cutting-edge!
Unfortunately, to make matters worse, the oil/gas companies are leasing land up near the NY/PA watershed and trying to attain permits to allow for gas drilliong -which will destroy the Catskills – anyone interested – go to Damascuscitizens.org, they have a u-tube video of what the Catskills would look like after gas drilling! Result, New York would wind up spending over $1 billion dollars on a water treatment plant for the irrevocable damage that would be caused by pumping in ‘Unspecified Toxins’ into the ground (which the gas companies refuse to reveal to the government). – Check it out!
June 9th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Hi Lisa. The gas drillers call it “fracking, and you’re right. They have no idea walhat it will do
June 14th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
I love your site! I have been out to the abandoned army base Fort Ord many times, taken some great video and pictures. If you are interested, I can send you the link, it would be a great addiction, otherwise, just to enjoy.
Thanks,
Bret
June 17th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Doese anyone remember Leo who made the ballon animals at the Concord Hotel? Great memories of times spent in the catskills. My family never missed a hotel from the Concord, Granit, Homowack, Stevensville, Nevele, Raleigh, Kutchers, Melbourne, and my summers at Camp Tagola and Camp Winston…..NOW THOSE WERE THE DAYS.
June 17th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Terrie,
I read that Leo also did balloon animals for Grossinger’s. Perhaps you would know? I know that many people traveled from hotel to hotel.
–Jon
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Does anyone know the name of the hotel that was across the road from Hunter’s Pizza? It was on the way from Libert to parksville and on the left hand side.
June 26th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
[...] Abandoned Hotel photos – before and after. This is so cool! I am obsessed with looking at old, abandoned (and might I add, sometimes hideously designed) buildings in LA and wondering what they looked like back in the 60s, 70s, or 80s (or even before!) when they were hip and happening. Even in a young city like this, there’s still so much history. So curious! [...]
July 1st, 2010 at 1:57 pm
What a terrific site,
full of interest and so many heart-warming comments.
Thank you
July 5th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Truly enjoyed the site…great nostalgia.
I worked at the Waldemere Hotel for about 5 summers as busboy and then waiter in my student days, starting about 1957, I believe. The experiences gained were invaluable and the relationships with my fellow workers cherished to this day.
I note that one of the respondants to this site is Susan Rosenthal whose family owned the hotel. I believe that I remember her as a teen age girl, and remember the Rosenthals. There were three brothers who ran the hotel, one of whom ran the office (Max Rosenthal), and the others, the kitchen-dining room and the other, the casino, night club, etc. I cannot recall their first names offhand, but remember one of the spouses, Phyllis. One of the sons was the captain of the waiters..I would like to be able to contact Susan and wonder if you are able, with her permission, to send me her email address? Thank you…
July 10th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
bobkaye,
great website….were you the bob kaye who worked at Zalkins in charge of the orchestra..
If so I still have a copy of the staff show using Fiddler on the roof to spoof{lyrics only}
remember cpt. steve harmon, martin siegel, fred posner,bruce metviner, dave torres, skip steindorf,
maitre de orson lewis and others……
I worked spring and winters in many hotels….jobs by harold’s dependable agency…monticello
some of my hotels include, tamarack, browns,pines, nevele,granit, pine grove,stevensville, raleigh, and others…lots of stories already written, if you are interested regards, paul
July 15th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Yes, I grew up in the mountains … in Monticello to be precise … however my life is a blessed life as you will realize. Yes, my great grandparents Moishe and Dora Levinson came from Russia to the Catskills at the turn of the century … to start a farm … land was cheap and the air was healthy and Greenfield Park outside of Ellenville seemed as good a spot as any. Max and Dora had 7 daughters and then the youngest was a boy Dave Levinson. The farm grew, but there was a basic problem … because most of the Catskill inhabitants were farmers, they thrived by trading goods, but how many cows would a shoemaker need … so you see it was extremely difficult for a farmer to trade for goods made by skilled craftsmen … they had no way to earn cash with which to buy things … so taking in boarders became that way … and Dave Levinson the 17 year old became the entreprenour who gradually built that little family farm into the 600 room hotel which became known as Tamarack Lodge. Ann do started my family’s life in the hotel business. Soon one of Dave’s sisters Rose Levinson Supon got the bug and bought into a hotel partnership with the Dinnerstein Brothers … a hotel which became known as the Stevensville Lake Hotel in Swan Lake … Rose was my grandmother. Her husband Ruben, my name sake, died early so later Rose married Sam Weiner who mad all the matresses for the hotels at Weiners Matress Company in South Fallsburg … So my life was a normal happy life of a carefree boy with the additional benefit that I always had a hotel to go to … you see Moishe and Dora made Dave the condition that he could have his dream to own the little hotel and build it further if he always had the doors open to any relatives in need of a place to stay and food to eat. Dave was no fool, and soon every summer our relatives from across the country would come to stay for a while … and Dave put them all to work running the concessions, coffee shop, pool, tennis and handball courts and all the other activities and sundries … afterall, who could he trust more than his relatives. At ages 5 – 10, I would join my parents and sister and we would go to one of our “family’s hotels” to visit all our relatives … I just thought that all boys my age did the same. Later I lived and worked as a busboy or waiter at Tamarack … even to be fired and re-hired a few times. Much later I learned how fortunate my life really was. Of course, the impact of the hotels on my life goes even further. At 5 I learned to swim at Stevensville, at 7 I went ice skating at Grossingers rink, where my father installed the ice refrigeration, and I met Eddy Fisher and Debbie Reynolds when they were married there, at 14 I caddied at the Concord for Buddy Hacket and Phil Silvers, and at 17 I worked at the Concord Ski Shop for Olympic Ski Champion Tino Koche and taught skiing to Buddy Hacket and his beautiful and sweet wife. While in college I worked summers at the Monticello Raceway in Valet Parking for Johnny Collins and made huge money … Essentially, I learned the ways of the world and all the fine values of life … and how to serve a customer … which I do to this day … and to think … I owe it all to the Catskills and to Great Grandparents Moishe and Dora Levinson and to all their descendents … today I am a Financial Planner and Advisor and serve my clients better than ever before …
August 1st, 2010 at 12:57 am
I had the esteemed pleasure of bellhopping at Tamarack in summer 1960. I also did the outdoor pool set up every morning ’til a guy named Larry Gluck showed up and took over that chore. Dave Levinson was the finest person I ever met. A true gentleman and generous beyond belief. My dad was given free lodging ‘cuz the room he was supposed to get at the brand new Monticello Race track which Dave had a 10% interest inwasn’t complete.
A week later dave told my dad he didn’t owe anything’ cuz he was commuting back and forth from the track. My dad was head of the winning ticket encashment dept. He ran a tight ship and could account for every dime paid out. My fondest memory was in seeing a guy called Gypsy run the food side of Tamarack. IMHO Tamarack served the best chow in the Catskills, hands down. I sampled the Concord and Grossinger menu, Browns, the Nevele, but Tamarack really knew how to serve Kosher food like as if yer Granma was in the kitchen.
I only worked 1 season there but it is still fresh in my mind as if it were yesterday. We had the usual complicated summer romance problems of hubby commuting on weekends and wifey flirting with the staff during the week. 1 bellhop got caught and was lucky ’nuff not to get shot, ‘cuz jealous hubby had a pistol and was gunning for that bellhop. He beat a hasty retreat and that was an eye opener for others on the staff heavy into the summer flirt scene.
There was the night club announcer, the infamous man who just dropped by for dinner and was there 25 years later. I don’t recall his name, but Buddy Hackett sure made fun of him on many an occasion. It seems the Tamarack club was his favorite haunt in summer.
Dave had 3 of his daughters and his wife working the front desk, these gals really knew their job. The place ran so smoothly, and they were always there I wondered when they ever got a chance to relax. If memory serves me, none of those girls were married when I was there. Once Tamarack closed for the summer season, it was back to the Hotel Algiers on Miami Beach for the winter season. I knew several bellhops who worked both places and they said these girls were just as busy in winter as they were in summer, and the Algiers was a much smaller operation.
I hope others who either worked or stayed as a guest at Tamarack Lodge remember it as it was then and reminisce as well..
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I have the fondest memories of Grossinger’s, having spent numerous vacations there with my parents as a child…….they would play bridge while I went horseback riding, skiing and swimming…I’m quite certain I had more fun than they did…I remember lots of activities especially for the kids…….my sister, Karen, worked and lived there as the bass player in one of the lounges for many years……. and of course…….I remember the wonderful, delectable food…….
August 4th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
To Terrie Lichten Alfieri and Jon H:
I remember LEO too, including that during my summer there (’59) we kids were surprised to learn that he actually had a life outside being our balloon man!
Turns out he was an actor (and I guess just did this balloon thing on the side). One time during that summer he was in some dramatic production on TV. We all went into the “TV room” and watched it.
I wish we knew his full name so we could look him up and see what else he was in.
August 19th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
The picture of the pool from the Tamarack hit me pretty hard. My most fondest memories as a child were in that pool. We would stat at the hotel or down the road in the bungalows. I remember 1969 hanging around the outside of the dining hall – early in the morning and the smell of the syrup – there was a tree house back there where I met the son of the channel five movie critic. We were both around 5 -the things we remember.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:06 am
Susan Rosenthal Brown
My father, Phil Sevush worked as the Maitre’D at the Waldemere during the summer of 1970. My mother Jean sold jewelry from a display case in the lobby. I worked as a bellhop in 1970 and 1971. I fondly remember Abe Rosenthal and Milton Cohen. My parents had owned the Eldorado Hotel (formerly Zeigers) in South Fallsburgh from 1958 to 1967.
August 22nd, 2010 at 2:23 am
Does anyone remember the Spring Lake Hotel in Parksville NY, I use to go the from 1968-1970 and the last I heard that sold the land, would like to take a ride there some day and see the area does anyone remember the address were it was located…
August 30th, 2010 at 11:30 am
i spent many a summer vacation at the prospect inn in parksville i recently drove up to the area and like all hotels it is gone only thing left is the small outdoor pool filled with construction pieces i have tried to get anything about the hotel such as postcards but nothing to be found if anyone has anything please let me know its all i have left of memories with my family