The Catskills’ Lost Architecture

  |  June 25, 2013
9780764343179b

That’s the subject of a new book by architect Ross Padluck, whose “Catskill Resorts: Lost Architecture of Paradise” chronicles the rise and fall of Borscht Belt destinations and grand hotels. Interestingly, the book focuses on many a mid-century creations. “In 1959, the New York Times reported that hotels in the Catskills had spent $8,000,000 in renovations for that year alone!” they write. “By 1964, there were 1,300 indoor and outdoor pools, 28,000 guest rooms, and eighteen resort-owned golf courses in the Sullivan County Catskills.”

Well, shucks. We admit to being as depressed as we were inspired by the book, since such bold claims can’t be made today. Many of the grand 19th century destinations, like the Catskill Mountain House and the Hotel Kaaterskill, burned to the ground. Many of the more recent structures are still there, in decay, or waiting to be reborn as casinos if legislation goes their way. Either way, there are and were a lot of beautiful buildings in disrepair.

Read On, Reader...