A friend turned me on to this fabulous Vanishing Catskills site. Visual artist Raymon Elozua photographed the abandoned bungalow colonies and hotels around Sullivan and Ulster Counties. The site is easily navigated by type of structure or map.

From the site: “The desire for a new improved lifestyle, assimilation into the American melting pot, and the aging of an older immigrant population were underlying factors coupled with a time when air travel became cheaper and newer chic resorts and communities were springing up elsewhere spelled the end of the Catskills by the 70’s.”

That’s when my family started going there. From the mid 70’s to early 80’s, my parents rented a bungalow in a colony where all the other cousins stayed. The destinations changed every few years…there was Greenview in Spring Glen, Jan’s in Ellenville and Rosenblum’s in Spring Glen from what I recall. Some of the places (like Greenview) had already started to decay. But we had fun anyway.

My fascination with abandoned dwellings coupled with my history in the area has put Vanishing Catskills near the top of my obsession list this week. And the memories these photos triggered! OMG, I recognize that Homowack bowling alley! OMG, I helped my Grandma cook in kitchens exactly like that! (And see that pink and white chair? I have that set in yucky brown!)

Too bad my Grandma is rolling over in her grave whenever she sees me “cook” now.

Related:

Catskills Past

Borscht Belt. Then and Now