The former Homowack Lodge Resort is an abandoned resort in the Catskill Mountains of New York, operating from 1920 to 2009. The Spring Glen congregation was formed in 1908 and soon grew to offer resort-like services as Homowack Lodge. In 1920 it became part of the “Borscht Belt,” an area distinguished by Jewish summer resort hotels, cabin colonies, and camps.
The Homowack Lodge in its prime offered many things to do such as physical activities like tennis, bowling and swimming. Spring Glen Resort also offered relaxing things like a theater stage to watch performers, a cocktail lounge and regular lounge.
In 1959 a fire happened at apartment buildings of Homowack Lodge. Two structures, one with 18 rooms, the other with 25 rooms, were engulfed in minutes due to high winds. Another fire on May 27, 1964, caused damage in a new 72-room addition to the Homowack lodge.
by the 1960s, tourism in the “Borscht Belt” had entered a decline. By 1978, the resort also included a redesigned nine-hole golf course, eight tennis courts, an outdoor playground, an outdoor and indoor pool, four Brunswick bowling alleys, an ice skating rink, and live music, and disco.
The eventual decline and extreme decay of the Homowack Lodge increased over the year. The town of Mamakating had cited numerous violations and tried to have the camp shut down, it was not until the New York State Department of Health intervened that the camp was closed. The campers and staff were endangered by the toxic mold, exposed wiring, and insulation, and there were fire safety violations.
The Homowack Lodge tried to find another life after the decline of the Borscht Belt as a Jewish girls day camp, but it was closed in 2009. In June 2014, Brooklyn-based Beautiful Earth Group purchased the derelict Homowack Lodge for $115,000 through a county tax auction. They pla to restore the Homowack Lodge for private use while opening up the remainder to the public for recreational purposes. The project would restore bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool.
Homowack Lodge Photos
