catskill hotels 1960s
I remember your mom and her brother Ralph. Concord, Grossingers, the Nevele, Tamarack Lodge, the Pines, Grandmothers name was Belle Fox, my grandfather was Maurice Silverman. My great grandparents moved a Ellenville in the 20s and my whole family grew up there. The area Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates. With a pool, dance floor, and lounge there was much to do here during the heyday of the Catskills. with the pedal to the metal. and their vacationers looked like when the Borscht Belt was at its According to old records, the owners names listed in the advertising were Moskowitz, Orber and Kornfeld. A mans world? Please contact for anything. The pool was a center of family summers at Tony Leones resort in New Yorks Catskills, circa 1960. Beginning in the 1970s, virgin land and aging bungalow colonies were once again selling cheap, inspiring a new wave of Jewish vacationersOrthodox and later ultra-Orthodox communities from Brooklyn. It was old at the time. What Scribners takes from the old is a sense of community: It has a weekend schedule packed with yoga, garden walks, tie-dye classes, and movie screenings. You may remember it, but here's a refresher. Smaller resorts the bulk of Sullivan Countys 538 hotels during that golden era began to close down. It was 24 hours a day of fun! New Yorkers hungry for mountain air, good food and the American way of leisure came to the mountains by the thousands, and by the 1950s a Half-million people each year inhabited the "summer world" of bungalow colonies, summer camps and small hotels. been more complete. One night he made me sing Getting to Know You with him. My family had great times there. I will be happy to answer all questions. Anyway, thanks for your comments, Neil. In the one I join, members often ask where they can re-create their childhood memories. Linda. decayed. All of them give you a good sense of Fallsburg, N.Y. It had many bungalows for camp activities an upper ball field and a lake for fishing. When does spring start? So far, the answer had always been no. Its so good to hear you speak of the hotel. Just came across this note. Please share more memories. Thanks for thoughts. I was a lifeguard at the famous Concord The hotels and summer camps of the area provided jobs to thousands of college students who relied on their wages and tips to finance the education that would catapult them (or so they hoped) into the higher reaches of American society. In the early 1900s, when Jews and other minorities were banned from upscale hotels and beaches around New York City, the Catskills offered refuge. My uncle Sheldon is living in Virginia now. My brother went to Woodstock, he was 6 years older than I. Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. My daughter goes to Stagedoor Manor Camp in Loch Sheldrake. It was Heaven!! that up. Again, Linda, thank you so much for responding to my post. Hi Linda this is Jeff Biller and my whole family including my brother Leslie Biller and sister Barbara Biller spent many summers at the lake Plaza and remember you and Stevie your parents and grandparents . There should have been a number of tables, or cases, full of Not sure how this system works but I am responding to Phil the Zaldin name is familiar and I will ask my cousin Burt who is very much alive and in his mid 7s (our birthdays are on day apart but I am 4 years older). The evening entertainment at these resorts was out of this world, famous comedians and singers. By the late 1960s, most of the large hotels in and around the community had been shuttered. Someone might have taped former Catskills comics talking I have a giant box of family photos that I am planning on going through with my sisters when this pandemic lets us get together. Your email address will not be published. My mother does not remember who owned the hotel in the family. Jerry was their nephew. Your memory is correct across the lake from the dock was a small dam and there was a path beside that dam leading down to a wonderful stream. During my time I can remember Waxmans Overlook Loch Sheldrake, The President Swan Lake, The AmbassadorThe NationalThe Commodore S Fallsburg, The Paramount Parksville, The Heiden, The Valley View Kenoza Lake. As time marches on families stopped getting together at Shustons as we all went on to college (we out of state), military, and family passed away. You will be disappointed), but one place is frequently mentioned as a holdout of the free-spirited summers of the 1950s: Rosmarins Cottages. menus. But oops that wasnt happening after awhile. Best of luck. Anyone know where the Woodbine Hotel was located, exactly? The famous hotels in the mountains the My family went to Bob-Eds in the late 1960s, so it was interesting to see your post. I spent the next 5 years at the Paramount. Ive talked to Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. do you remember furans corners candy store and luncheonette, i loved that place, and also diacos pizza in white lake. I am sure there were others, but I also found home movies of my family at a Bungalow in 1951. I am just hoping to find photos of it, or any information that can point me in the right direction, Thanks! Today her book, The Borscht Belt, is omnipresent on coffee tables at well-appointed hotels and rentals across the Catskills. The Community the late 1980s, it was on life support and by the mid-1990s in the The best and most exciting part of the Catskills came during this period. the counter are still there, dilapidated, but the entire counter has people ask? Mr. Chadwick can be reached at bchadwick@njcu.edu. Too bad they sold before the Borscht Belt took off. She was my first crush. Everybody talks about that one. Those that could make the necessary upgrades found themselves hopelessly in debt. For Lease $8.75/SF/YR. The entire camp was sitting in there watching in awe. He was the lifeguard and his Mother, Edna ran the camp. Vacationers clamored for rooms in hotels like Grossinger's, the Raleigh, the Nevele, Tamarack Lodge, the Concord, Kutsher's, Brown's, Brickman's, Granit, Pines and so many others. Would be nice. formed colonies there. I had forgotten I had written this last year. It included a main building and about 50 other bungalows, plus a five-unit cottage. I went fishing with my Papa in the little lake across the road and caught my first fish. Both my brother and I have been living in Israel for the last 35-40 years. The Concord Resort Hotel (pronounced KAHN-cord, (/ k k r d /)) was a resort in the Borscht Belt of the Catskills, known for its large resort industry in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.Located in Kiamesha Lake, New York, United States, the Concord was the largest resort in the region and was also one of the last to finally close in 1998, long after the others closed. All rights reserved. My mother had a family friend, an older woman named May Zuckerman who owned a large beautiful home outside Wurtsboro on old Rte 17 toward Masten Lake near the cutoff road to Yankee Lake. I was very friendly with their daughter, Stephanie. The sign used to say Hood Ice Cream Orchard Colony Luncheonette. Hi Linda, What a lovely surprise to hear from you. Do you remember going to the childrens day camp there? Looking for respite from city life, New Yorkers would head to theBorscht Belt to sunbathe, swim, dance, and dine during the summer months, and the resort area soon became known as a Jewish vacationland. Does anyone have information about the Rainbow Lodge? Thanks so much for your response and all the info you have shared with me. Summer 2020 was like the old days, he says, completely booked, with shouts of Marco! Polo! echoing from the lake. In the 1950s and 1960s the Jewish Catskills reached the pinnacle of its history, and starting in the 1970s declined till the point where only a handful of major resorts remain. During the heyday of the Catskills (1940s - 1960s), the region was New York's premier vacation destination and counted over 500 hotels, from boarding houses and bungalow colonies to all-inclusive resorts. Dinner was a dressy affair. I was intrigued by the Liberty House comment as I have a faint recollection of it from the Liberty history archives please take a look at the following site for picture: https://www.townofliberty.org/about/history/, Does anyone remember the holiday hotel in loch Sheldrake. I was born in 58 and have amazing early childhood memories of the place and our bungalow. Property Size 3,840 SF. Marilyn, I am Shirleys granddaughter. Its indoor swimming pool, which has transformed into a lush greenhouse over the years, is a destination for adventurers. I had already posed the question a half dozen times on our journey to find remnants of the summers she spent in New Yorks Catskill Mountains in the 1950s. While I remember some family names as many returned each summer, my memory is not as sharp as it used to be but if you give me a clue and I can try. Do you remember the layout of the property. The lush New York hotels Do you know what happened to the Kranas Family (Shirley is the daughter) who owned the Leroy Hotel in Loch Sheldrake? Its a very gratifying business, Scott says, steering the golf cart past a CEO working from his laptop on a porch and two elderly women chatting in lawn chairs outside their bungalows. The abandoned Borscht Belt in New York's Catskills, a former Jewish vacationland, is home to memories of a former respite from city life. Be well! This project was created using the CERES: Exhibit Toolkit with help from the Digital Scholarship Group at the Northeastern University Library. She hired my mother to be her assistant manager and they made it work. After a soft opening earlier this spring, the Starlite Motel officially opened on June 1 in Kerhonkson, a short distance from Catskill favorites like Minnewaska State Park, Mohonk Preserve, and Sam's Point.Built in the 1960s, the motel was a roadside mainstay for decades, but in sore need of an update when fashion industry vet Alix Umen and artist Adriana Farmiga purchased it in 2018. I know Frank would love to get in touch with her. Thank you so much for sharing your memory with me! is ruins, just like European ruins of long ago. Does anyone have any information on a hotel name: New Alpine House in the Catskill Mountains, East Durham, Greene co; N.Y in around the 1930s. I spent the first 25 summers of my in the Catskills. Yet my moms childhood memories arent stirred by the Glen Wildes updatedbut true-to-traditionvibe. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. was started. He quoted an unnamed South Fallsburg banker and lawyer who pointed out that many of the smaller hotels are in trouble because they are obsolete, and could not afford to modernize to meet todays more luxurious standards, like baths in every room. Also, he said, the lure of more glamorous places like Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Europe, were attracting more and more of the traditional Sullivan County vacationer. Davis Jr. That would have been a nice before I was very young at the time. Ive searched on the internet and havent found much else about this bungalow colony. made the resort immortal. Some keep hoping for an area renaissance. Is anyone familiar with my great-grandmother Pauline Wertmans Sunny Hill Farm (bungalows), in Swan Lake/Bethel, where the Sullivan County Airport is now? By the 1980s, however, the once-bustling region, home to numerous hotels, bungalows, tennis courts, and swimming pools, became desolate as New Yorkers began to favor different destinations. As the Catskills revive, Im determined to find among the current offerings some vestiges of the carefree summers my mom spent here. These resorts were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews . it, as if someone had just made a call. photographer. The bungalow colonies were the first to go under, followed by the smaller hotels.. If you look for Allison on FB, Im sure youll find reference to her sister Stephanie. It was freedom., Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. He visited the Loch Sheldrake Inn, Goldbergs, and the Overlook, each of which had recently closed. I have some fond memories. I havent lived in New York for many years, and would love to return. AP Grossinger's was part of the famed "Borscht Belt" of resorts popular with New York City Jews in the 1950s and '60s. Take care, Joan and stay in touch! like the ruins of Pompeii. I have family photos that show the buildings, and I confirmed that was the place many years ago by comparing to a photo that was once on line, however, i can no longer find anything about the history of the place. By the late 1980s, it. The area had attracted tourists since the post-Civil War years . Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Do you remember them? Untapped New York unearths New York Citys secrets and hidden gems. The Bob-Ed bungalow colony, which later became Camp Camelot the girls camp next to Camp Weelock and then was bought by the firemen, still exists. Has anyone considered a book or driving tour of where all of these hotels were and what is there now? And it was on rosemond road . not set up anything; this is all pure, living history.. Bob-Eds became Camp Capri and then the property was sold to NYC firemen. Interestingly, my grandmothers family said you will not marry a Jewish singer and/or singing waiter and then they eloped! Now, though, nearly a hundred years later, it is gone. Now we are in Ellenville at Cohens Bakery, established circa 1920, buying pumpernickel bread and chocolate rugelach. Micky Woolf and his cousin, Sammy Woolf, my grandfather sang there. Evidence enough that the Golden Age had come to an end. Borscht Belt is an apocalyptic, said photographer Scheinfeld. over.. I wanted to do this exhibit to show that the whole area today On the Upswing if ny had the helmet law then, ronnie would still be alive. and, in gripping color, leap off the walls of the museum. And then you walk into the entertainment worlds decaying treasure chest, have been brought to We went every Monday to Middletown or Monticello for groceries. Windsor, Gilberts, Zeigers, Camp Hi-Li -- today look eerily I remember the Commodore from my many visits there in the 50s with my cousin Sam he was friendly with your Uncle. You must remember their parents, Bob and Doris Belkin, who taught ballroom dancing. Once it was the sparkling center of Jewish summers, replete with glamorous hotels and thriving small towns. At the time of the sale, the Fleischers were in debt to their laundry for $28,000, their butcher for $26,000, and their grocer for $11,000. Do you remember my grandmother, she was the main cook. Do you remember the address? Hi Joan, My name is Linda Amar, maiden name Linda Leibowitz. Does anyone know what hotel used to be there? The plaques will feature navy lettering against a tan . It had a Lodge with swimming pool about 1/2 mile down the road. Catskills-meets-Chamonix at Little Cat Lodge, which has an excellent restaurant and interiors inspired by 1960s ski culture in the Berkshires as well as the Alps. The main house was on a hill and there were steps up to it from the road. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. Greene and Freddie Roman. I was friends with Mike geier. They were a It was a great place for those of us escaping Brooklyn. My mom and dad were Sylvia and max Biller and my grandparents max and Helen Gottesman. My father stayed there and fished . As indicated in the article, the New Roxy closed in 1966. How that all came about is a mystery to me. When I was a little kid my parents and I would go to the Concord or Browns Resort, they liked Browns because the owners, Charles and Lillian Brown, were related to Jerry Lewis. 7.2/5 (32 reviews) "This is a wonderful property. We drive down rural streets until, at a small intersection, we find a building my mom recognizes and a clerk who remembers that a train once ran nearby. Do you know what ever happened to the property? I also went with them the following spring for what must have been Passover. The Makowsky Family will always have a special place in my heart. my wife joan and i live in manhattan, and south florida. Hey Craig how are you? midtown Manhattan at 15 W. 16th Street. If I did not know of it being there, I would never have believed it once was. Unfortunately a fire destroyed the hotel at the end of 76. Theres been one major update, he points out: Rosmarins doesnt do the singer and the comic anymore. These days its food trucks and concerts. My parents took me to the Youngs Gap in about 1944 after my summer camp closed because of a Polio epidemic. Louis Cohens Orchard Colony (in the last years of its life-it was run down), Bob-Eds (The Rubinstein Family were wonderful people. At night, comedians would do their shtick for a well-dressed audience. Scrolling through these comments I read that Ronnie died in a motorcycle accident. The people who bought the hotel reopened it as Bills Vegetarian Manor. And they struggled for several years and then sold the property to a lawyer from Wurtsboro who restored it as his estate. I dragged my mom, Debi, with me to find out. Of course, many of the hotels continued to grow well beyond that, but by then small and medium size hotels were closing in droves. My family went to Bob-Ed from the late 50s to 65.