This weekend, we were in NY. We went into the city on Saturday but Sunday was designed to explore. We drove from North Jersey to the Catskills. This region was very new to me and the drive was so lovely. To be honest, we probably could have spent the entire day just filming stuff that we passed. There was so many abandoned homes, barns, buildings, it was out of control. But, we had one spot focused on our minds, The Grossinger Resort.
HISTORY LESSON:
The Grossinger Resort was founded in the early 1900's by two Austrian Jews from NYC. At the time, many Jewish folk were not permitted to join country clubs, so these fine folk bought land and opened up a one home boarding house in the Catskills. Liberty was the actual town. The small boarding home grew and grew, with the help of their amazing daughter, into a huge resort with several pools, restaurants, various forms of lodging, a skating rink, tennis courts, a ski slope, golf course, air strip and even its owbn post office. The resort was a kosher resort designed for Jews but was welcoming to all. The daughter really was the genius behind the extensive renovations and expansions. However, when she passed away in 1972, the resort was already in a steady decline. Air travel was no longer just for the elite and wealthy, and so people were going places. By 1985, the resort was nothing like it had once been, and closed its doors. The place has been bought, sold, bought and sold time and time again, however, it is evident that nothing really is going to come of it. The golf course, i think, is still open, however, that is about it.
Now, the buildings sit WIDE OPEN and rather disgustingly vandalised. The tagging and graffiti are actually rather awesome, as I love a pool that is covered with urban art, however, many windows are broken and copper wires have been pillaged. Folks have shown an enormous amount of disrespect to this historical fossil, however, it was an amazing explore. We checked out one of the lodging facilities and saw that is was decimated. Walls were destroyed and many pathways were inaccessible. We also got to really explore the natatorium. This place was incredible. The pool was huge, filled with natures precipitation and pool chairs. It was tagged unbelievably and with the hollow drip of water coming from above and the moss growing on the tiles, it was an urbex dream. My favorite part of this space was the ceiling, a beautiful wood ceiling, lined with lights and this awesome art deco speaker in the middle. LOVE< LOVE< LOVE< LOVE < LOVE!!!! We also got to check out a space that was deep, hollow and must have been the hub of the mechanics.
we did a drive through, trying to find the outdoor pool, but weren't able to find it. We didn't use our maps app, stupid us and were on the opposite side of the resort. Needless to say, it was an a amazing find, and I know I want to go back and find more stuff. One disappointment, the cabins were all torn down. However, I still had my Dirty Dancing moment. Nobody puts Baby in the corner!!!!
HISTORY LESSON:
The Grossinger Resort was founded in the early 1900's by two Austrian Jews from NYC. At the time, many Jewish folk were not permitted to join country clubs, so these fine folk bought land and opened up a one home boarding house in the Catskills. Liberty was the actual town. The small boarding home grew and grew, with the help of their amazing daughter, into a huge resort with several pools, restaurants, various forms of lodging, a skating rink, tennis courts, a ski slope, golf course, air strip and even its owbn post office. The resort was a kosher resort designed for Jews but was welcoming to all. The daughter really was the genius behind the extensive renovations and expansions. However, when she passed away in 1972, the resort was already in a steady decline. Air travel was no longer just for the elite and wealthy, and so people were going places. By 1985, the resort was nothing like it had once been, and closed its doors. The place has been bought, sold, bought and sold time and time again, however, it is evident that nothing really is going to come of it. The golf course, i think, is still open, however, that is about it.
Now, the buildings sit WIDE OPEN and rather disgustingly vandalised. The tagging and graffiti are actually rather awesome, as I love a pool that is covered with urban art, however, many windows are broken and copper wires have been pillaged. Folks have shown an enormous amount of disrespect to this historical fossil, however, it was an amazing explore. We checked out one of the lodging facilities and saw that is was decimated. Walls were destroyed and many pathways were inaccessible. We also got to really explore the natatorium. This place was incredible. The pool was huge, filled with natures precipitation and pool chairs. It was tagged unbelievably and with the hollow drip of water coming from above and the moss growing on the tiles, it was an urbex dream. My favorite part of this space was the ceiling, a beautiful wood ceiling, lined with lights and this awesome art deco speaker in the middle. LOVE< LOVE< LOVE< LOVE < LOVE!!!! We also got to check out a space that was deep, hollow and must have been the hub of the mechanics.
we did a drive through, trying to find the outdoor pool, but weren't able to find it. We didn't use our maps app, stupid us and were on the opposite side of the resort. Needless to say, it was an a amazing find, and I know I want to go back and find more stuff. One disappointment, the cabins were all torn down. However, I still had my Dirty Dancing moment. Nobody puts Baby in the corner!!!!