Iconic Catskills Resort Grossinger’s Hit by Fire; Known as Hotel that Inspired the Film “Dirty Dancing”
By: Fern Sidman
A fire consumed a building at the site of the long-closed Grossinger’s resort, once among the most storied and glamorous hotels in New York’s Catskills, as was reported by the AP.
In its heyday after World War II, Grossinger’s drew hundreds of thousands of vacationers a year, many of them Jewish. The New York Times reported that Grossinger’s thrived in the early to mid-20th century, at a time in history that saw prejudicial behavior towards Jews in all facets of American life as well as outright anti-Semitism in the form of blatant discrimination. Jews were routinely refused admission to resorts, golf clubs and Ivy League universities.
The AP reported that the resort had a 27-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, a nightclub, two kosher kitchens and a 1,500-seat dining room. It drew crooners like Eddie Fisher and has been cited as an inspiration for the 1987 movie “Dirty Dancing.”
The fire broke out Tuesday evening in a three-and-half story building on the old hotel property. The AP reported that firefighters who responded to the scene had to cut through a gate and were hampered by overgrowth and concrete barriers. An excavator knocked down the structure after the fire was out, according to a Facebook post by the Liberty Fire Department.
It was not immediately clear what the building had been used for, though Sullivan County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild said the main building was torn down about four years ago, according to the Post report.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. The former 812-acre resort is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of New York City in the heart of the storied Catskill mountains which was also known as “the Borscht Belt.”
The man for whom the hotel was named for was Harry Grossinger, who operated it as well. The Times reported that his 1964 obituary indicated that in the 1960s, the resort was comprised of 1200 acres of land with 36 buildings on it that could accommodate 1400 guests. It also included such amenities as a lake, swimming pools, tennis courts and a ski slope, according to the Times report.
The AP reported that legendary singer Eddie Fisher not only made his debut at Grossinger’s, but also married fellow entertainer Debbie Reynolds there in 1955. Other big names to appear at the resort were Joel Grey and Leslie Uggams, as well as boxers Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey.
The NYT also reported that in addition to attracting a predominantly Jewish crowd, Grossinger’s saw its share of non-Jewish celebrities as well as a bevy of prominent personalities from all walks of life.
It was at Grossinger’s that iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor married her fourth husband in 1959. The late New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller was a frequent guest at the hotel and Cardinal Francis Spellman, who served for 30 years as the New York City Roman Catholic Archbishop also vacationed at Grossinger’s during its heyday.
The popularity of Catskill mountains resorts waned at the close of the 1970s due to waning anti-Semitism and the new found ability of people to travel to far off destinations.
Grossinger’s operated for nearly 70 years before closing in 1986, suffering the fate of many local hotels after the region’s appeal faded, reported the AP. The site fell into disrepair amid efforts to redevelop it.
