Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains near the town of Liberty, New York. It is part of the Borscht Belt. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed its doors in 1986, and is now in a state of urban decay.
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History
Asher Selig Grossinger moved from New York City to Ferndale in Sullivan County in the Catskill Mountains in the 1900s. Asher was born in Baligrod, a small village in Galicia, Austria. His business ventures failed and he was in poor health, so he rented rooms to visitors from New York City. His wife, Malke, operated the kosher kitchen, and Jennie Grossinger (1891-1972), his daughter, was the hostess.[1] They called their home Longbrook House. In 1919, they sold it and purchased a bigger house on 100 acres (0.40 km2), calling it Grossinger's Terrace Hill House.
In 1952, Grossinger's earned a place in the history of skiing as the first in the world to use artificial snow.[2] By the time Jennie died in 1972, the hotel had grown to 35 buildings on 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) that served 150,000 guests a year. It had its own airstrip and post office. During his fighting days Rocky Marciano would train at the resort. But in the late 1970s and 1980s, resorts like Grossinger's or the Concord could no longer attract younger guests. Grossinger's closed in 1986,[3] but the golf course is still open as of 2008. [4] Louis Cappelli once planned to open a "luxury boutique hotel" on the property, with 200 rooms, a spa, and various other amenities. [5]It seems that now, after years of waiting, it may finally happen. He has said that the first phase will be to complete renovations on The Concord Resort Hotel, which began in mid 2008, then Grossinger's would follow.
Grossinger's may be most widely recognized as the inspiration for "Kellerman's Mountain Resort" in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
Bibliography
- Joel Pomerantz; Jennie And The Story Of Grossinger's (1970)
References
- ^ "Jennie Grossinger Dies at Resort Home. Jennie Grossinger Dies at 80 In Her Resort Home in Catskills.". New York Times. November 21, 1972. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30813FE3F59107A93C3AB178AD95F468785F9. Retrieved 2008-11-18. "Jennie Grossinger, the gentle Jewish mother who transformed a modest Catskills family hotel into a luxurious resort, died early yesterday morning in a ranch cottage on the vast property the world calls Grossinger's but she called home."
- ^ On This Day: March 25, BBC News, accessed December 20, 2006. "The first artificial snow was made two years later, in 1952, at Grossinger's resort in New York, USA. "
- ^ Grossinger's
- ^ Grossinger's Golf and Country Club
- ^ Grossinger's Golf Resort
External links
- Catskill Archive: Grossinger's Hotel
- Jewish Virtual Library: Jennie Grossinger
- Grossinger's Hotel Today
- Grossinger's Golf and Country Club
- Pictures from 1962-1969
Coordinates: 41°47′23″N 74°43′23″W / 41.789809°N 74.722996°W
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