Under the direction of hostess Jennie Grossinger, the resort grew into one of the largest in the Borscht Belt. It is often cited as the inspiration for the setting of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
By 2018, most of the buildings on the property had been demolished,[1] though a few remained until they were destroyed in a fire in 2022.[2] In June 2025, PPG Development announced the purchase of the property for redevelopment. The following month, Harris Salomon and Alan Zweibel announced a planned scripted television series about the resort.
History
Asher Selig Grossinger and his wife, Malka Grumet Grossinger, were both born in Baligrod, a village in Galicia, Poland, and immigrated to the United States in the 1890s. After several unsuccessful business ventures and declining health for Asher, the family moved from New York City to Ferndale in Sullivan County, New York, around 1913. There, they rented rooms to visitors from New York City. Malka Grossinger operated the kosher kitchen, and their daughter, Jennie Grossinger (1891–1972), served as hostess.[3] The family initially called their home Longbrook House.
In 1919, the Grossingers sold Longbrook House and purchased a larger property of 100 acres (0.40km2), which they named Grossinger's Terrace Hill House.
Under Jennie Grossinger’s management, the resort expanded to over 35 buildings. The main building included a dining room seating 1,300 guests, with the “Terrace Room” nightclub located beneath it.[4] The resort also had its own airstrip[5][6] and post office. Boxer Rocky Marciano trained there during his career. Reports indicate that the family offered $1 million to rename the New York, Ontario and Western Railway station at Ferndale to "Grossingers," but the proposal was rejected by competing hoteliers.
In 1952, Grossinger’s became the first resort in the world to use artificial snow for skiing.[7]
The indoor pool in 1976
Jennie Grossinger’s death in 1972 coincided with the decline of Borscht Belt resorts, which struggled to attract younger visitors.
In August 1984, the resort promoted a Woodstock weekend for the 15th anniversary of the 1969 festival.[8] Events included tie-dye workshops, a performance by David Clayton-Thomas, a midnight screening of the documentary Woodstock, and an appearance by John Sebastian.[9] Activist Abbie Hoffman also participated in the promotion.[10]
In 1986, the Grossinger family descendants sold the property to Servico.[11] That same year, the resort’s main hotel and facilities closed.[12] On September 1, 1986, Eddie Fisher attempted to demolish the playhouse with dynamite as a symbolic beginning for redevelopment, but the structure required additional demolition by bulldozer.[13]
Grossinger's in 2015
The golf course remained open until 2017 and was known among local members as the "Big G". Its clubhouse was demolished in July 2018.[14]
Servico and subsequent owners were unable to reopen the hotel due to high costs. As of September 2013, the property was owned by developer Louis Cappelli, who also held the nearby Concord Resort and sought to benefit from proposed casino development in the region.[15]
Demolition of the resort’s remaining structures began in summer 2018, with the last building demolished on October 19, 2018. A separate building on the site was destroyed by fire on August 16, 2022.
In February 2019, it was reported that Sullivan Resorts LLC, a subsidiary of Cappelli Enterprises, intended to construct a $50 million resort with a 250-room hotel, convention center, residences, and amenities.[16] A later report in September 2019 indicated uncertainty about the long-term plans for the property.[17]
Description
Room 7276 in 1977
Like many Catskill resorts, Grossinger's expanded gradually, incorporating a range of architectural styles. It began as a Victorian hotel, was later remodeled with Mission-style elements, and underwent Tudor-style expansion in the 1940s. In the 1950s and 1960s, Modernist-style accommodations and entertainment facilities were added.
The original building, known as the former Nichols House, was designed by local architect Frank Cottle. Increased competition from nearby resorts in the 1940s prompted further development, including the large-scale expansion of the dining room, the creation of the Terrace Room nightclub, and the Pink Elephant bar. In 1949, architect Morris Lapidus, in one of his earliest hotel commissions, renovated and expanded the Terrace Room.[18]
In media
Grossinger's is cited as the inspiration for the fictional "Kellerman's Mountain Resort" in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.[19]
A feature documentary about the resort, produced by Harris Salomon of Atlantic Overseas Pictures Television and Robert Friedman of Bungalow Media and Entertainment, is scheduled for release in 2025.[20]
↑ 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. "
↑ I am the son of Robert Lehman, the managing director of Grossinger's in 1986-1988 who worked for Servico, and I am the owner of http://www.grossingers.org
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