Penn Hills Resort

Last updated
Penn Hills Resort, bubble bath, circa 1970s Penn Hills Resort, bubble bath, circa 1970's.jpeg
Penn Hills Resort, bubble bath, circa 1970s

Penn Hills Resort was a honeymoon resort located in Analomink, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains. Founded as a tavern in 1944, the resort grew in the 1960s, with over a hundred rooms in the hotel [1] and a ski resort and golf course on the 500-acre site. Guest villas featured floor-to-ceiling carpeting, round beds, and heart-shaped bathtubs. [2] Distinctive, modernist streetlights from the 1964 World's Fair were installed, as well as an ice rink and a wedding bell shaped outdoor swimming pool. [3]

Contents

Billed as a "Paradise of Pocono Pleasure" and a place of "unbridled passion", [4] Penn Hills catered to young couples who enjoyed archery and tennis and danced at modestly lavish New Year's Eve parties where the motto was "No balloon goes unpopped." [5]

The resort closed in 2009.

Closure

View of the Penn Hills Resort pool, shaped like a wedding bell, suffering neglect after the resort was abandoned. August, 2012 Penn Hills Resort Pool.JPG
View of the Penn Hills Resort pool, shaped like a wedding bell, suffering neglect after the resort was abandoned. August, 2012

In 2009, Penn Hills co-founder Frances Paolillo died at the age of 102 and the resort closed less than two months later. Monroe County took over the property in lieu of back taxes. [1] Workers' final paychecks were never issued, and the resort owed the county over $1 million in back taxes. [7] Already in serious disrepair, flooding and copper thieves damaged the buildings further, and the resort was abandoned. [8]

By 2012, Monroe County had sold several small parcels of Penn Hills. However, most of the resort remained unsold. [9] The resort's 40-acre former golf course was purchased by Stroud Township and became the ForEvergreen Nature Preserve. [10]

In January 2016, a group of New York investors purchased what remained of Penn Hills for $400,000. [11] [12] The property was sold again in mid-2017 for $688,000. [13]

On September 4, 2017, the main building of the resort burned to the ground. This was the third time in three years that the resort had caught fire. [14] [15] On December 7 of the same year, the demolition of the former golf club house on the new ForEvergreen Nature Preserve began as part of the creation of the Brodhead Creek Heritage Center. [16] [10]

The hotel was the site of Tigers Jaw's music video for "June", from their 2017 album Spin .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe County, Pennsylvania</span> County in Pennsylvania, United States

Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327. Its county seat is Stroudsburg. The county was formed from sections of Northampton and Pike counties on April 1, 1836.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad opened a station in town. Despite its name being derivative of its bordering borough, Stroudsburg, it has almost twice the population. East Stroudsburg is the largest municipality in Monroe County and in the East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area as designated by the Office of Management and Budget based on data from the 2010 US Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania</span> Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Mount Pocono is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It is located nearly centered in the southernmost county of five in the northeastern corner that are part of the Pocono Mountains. The borough serves as a local highway nexus, and sees a lot of tourist traffic making use of resources in the region. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 3,083 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies within the Poconos region approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of Brodhead Creek, McMichaels, and Pocono Creeks in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is also the county seat of Monroe County. Stroudsburg is part of the East Stroudsburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the New York combined statistical area. The population was 5,927 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocono Mountains</span> Geographic highland and cultural region in Pennsylvania, United States

The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos, are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The name Pocono is derived from the Munsee word Pokawachne, which means "Creek Between Two Hills".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeastern Pennsylvania</span> Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbondale. A portion of this region is located in the New York City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 940</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 940 is a 43.2-mile-long (69.5 km) Pennsylvania highway located in the Pocono Mountains. It runs from PA 309 in Hazleton east to PA 191 in Paradise Valley. Large segments of PA 940 are located in densely forested areas. The route heads northeast through Luzerne County from Hazleton, passing through Freeland and coming to an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80) in White Haven. From here, PA 940 turns east and runs a short distance north of I-80, coming to an interchange with both I-80 and I-476 in northern Carbon County. The route continues through Monroe County and passes through Pocono Pines before it has an interchange with I-380. PA 940 passes through Mount Pocono prior to continuing to its eastern terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 191</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 191 is a 111.54 mi (179.51 km)-long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route, a major non-freeway corridor connecting the Lehigh Valley to the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania, is designated from U.S. Route 22 in Brodhead near the city of Bethlehem to the New York state line over the Delaware River at Hancock, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 402</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 402 is a 29.24-mile (47.06 km) north–south state route in the Pennsylvania counties of Pike and Monroe. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 Business in the Smithfield Township village of Marshalls Creek. The northern terminus is at US 6 in Palmyra Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 447</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 447 (PA 447) is a 26.66-mile-long (42.91 km) north–south state route located in northeast Pennsylvania in The Poconos. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) near an interchange with Interstate 80 (I-80) in Smithfield Township. The northern terminus is at PA 191 and PA 507 in Dreher Township. The route heads northwest from US 209 in Monroe County and forms a brief concurrency with US 209 Business in the northern part of East Stroudsburg. PA 447 continues and forms a concurrency with PA 191 in Analomink before winding north through rural areas. The route bends northwest and crosses PA 390 in Canadensis. PA 447 passes through a section of Pike County before entering Wayne County and reaching its northern terminus.

Cresco is a village in Barrett Township, Monroe County in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Cresco is located in the Pocono Mountains. The ZIP Code is 18326. Area Code 570, Exchange: 595.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 196</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 196 is a state highway in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania with a length of 25.7 miles (41.4 km). It runs from PA 611 and PA 940 in Mount Pocono in Monroe County north to PA 296 in Varden in Wayne County. The route is a two-lane undivided road that runs through rural areas. PA 196 intersects PA 423 near Tobyhanna State Park before entering Wayne County, where it crosses PA 507 in Angels and passes through Sterling. The route forms a concurrency with PA 191 and has a junction with PA 590 in Hamlin. Upon splitting from PA 191, PA 196 continues north to its end at PA 296.

The Bobby Jones Open is a golf tournament for people whose names are Robert Jones, Bob Jones, Bobby Jones, Robby Jones, or Rob Jones. It was founded by Robert A. Jones from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The tournament has raised over $300,000 for Syringomyelia research and support for Syringomyelia patients. It is named after Bobby Jones, considered the greatest amateur golfer ever. In 1930 at the age of 28, he won the U.S. and British Opens and the U.S. and British Amateur Championships. To date, no one has duplicated that record. He was stricken with Syringomyelia, a disorder of the spinal nerves which eventually led to his death in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pond Eddy Bridge</span> Petit truss bridge in Pond Eddy, US

The Pond Eddy Bridge is a petit truss bridge spanning the Delaware River between the hamlet of Pond Eddy in Lumberland, New York and the settlement informally called Pond Eddy in Shohola Township, Pennsylvania. It is accessible from NY 97 in Lumberland on the New York side and two dead-end local roads, Flagstone Road and Rosa Road on the Pennsylvania side. The bridge was built in 1903 by the Oswego Bridge Company to replace an old suspension bridge that had washed away in a flood earlier in the year. It connected the bluestone quarries in Pennsylvania to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort</span>

The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort is a resort in the village of Shawnee on Delaware, located in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The hotel is a Spanish colonial revival building with white-Moorish architecture and Spanish tiled roofs. Mike Jesky of the Standard-Speaker wrote, “The three-story, 96-room inn looms large and flat on the grounds, with a stately yet inviting appearance.” In the 1990s the Shawnee Inn was identified as the only resort on the banks of the Delaware River. Tee Time magazine has ranked the golf course there as one of the finest in the Mid-Atlantic region.

William Stephen Flynn was a prominent golf course architect during the early part of the 20th century. Flynn is most noted for designing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island and Cherry Hills Country Club, Lancaster Country Club, and for his work at the Merion Golf Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Stroudsburg station</span>

East Stroudsburg is an historic train station built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1856. The station served as the local stop for both East Stroudsburg and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The depot, recently known locally as the Dansbury Depot for the restaurant that used the building, is located on Crystal Street in East Stroudsburg. Service to East Stroudsburg ended on January 6, 1970, when the Erie Lackawanna Railway discontinued the Lake Cities. A proposal is currently in place to extend NJ Transit service to a rebuilt East Stroudsburg station. In spring 2021, Amtrak announced plans for potential New York–Scranton route. It is currently used by some of Steamtown National Historic Site's excursion trains.

Daniel Brodhead II, was a captain in the Ulster County, New York militia. He was the first person of European descent to permanently settle the area of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a justice of the peace for Bucks County, Pennsylvania from 1747 to 1749. He was friendly with the Native Americans as well as with the Moravian Church missionaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project</span>

The Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak effort to restore passenger service to the Lackawanna Cut-Off in northwest New Jersey.

Morris Benjamin Wilkins was the inventor of the heart-shaped bathtub and the champagne glass bathtub. He is credited for helping establish the Pocono Mountains in northeast Pennsylvania as the "honeymoon capital of the world."

References

  1. 1 2 Michael Sadowski, Venerable Pocono resort is deserted, Pocono Record, April 15, 2009
  2. ↑ William Robbins, What's Doing In the Poconos, New York Times, April 12, 1981
  3. ↑ Worlds Fair Community message board, 2011
  4. ↑ Ethan Todras-Whitehill, Where Every Day Is New Year's Eve, New York Times, December 28, 2007
  5. ↑ Marta Gouger, New Year's bash of a decade... or 4, Pocono Record, December 31, 2007
  6. ↑ Maurer, Pablo Iglesias. "Abandoned States: Places In Idyllic 1960s Postcards Have Transformed Into Scenes Of Abandonment". DCist. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ↑ Beth Brelje, Honeymoon is ending at Penn Hills, Pocono Record, April 1, 2009
  8. ↑ Beth Brelje, Attempted copper theft lands one in hospital, one in jail, Pocono Record, May 19, 2010
  9. ↑ Michael Sadowski, Abandoned Analomink resort remains mostly unsold, Pocono Record, May 4, 2012
  10. 1 2 Strunk, Brianna (2017-12-07). "Demolition Underway for New Heritage Center". PA Homepage.
  11. ↑ Kevin Kunzmann, Penn Hills acreage sold, Pocono Record, February 29, 2016
  12. ↑ Kunzmann, Kevin (May 12, 2016). "Penn Hills' new owners see opportunity where others see blight". Pocono Record. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Penn Hills Resort Sold!". 3 June 2017.
  14. ↑ Transue, Elizabeth (2017-09-04). "Former Honeymoon Resort Catches Fire in Monroe County". WNEP. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  15. ↑ "Penn Hills fire under investigation". Pocono Record. 2017-09-05. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  16. ↑ Brodhead Creek Heritage Center at ForEvergreen Nature Preserve

Coordinates: 41°03′27″N75°12′48″W / 41.05750°N 75.21333°W / 41.05750; -75.21333

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.