South Fallsburg — The Pines resort is trashed.
There was a time when joyous, chattering vacationers streamed through the hallways of the Pines. Old postcards show happy couples lounging on the concrete arch that bridged the kidney-shaped outdoor pool. That era is long gone, and the one-time attraction has become a dilapidated nuisance.
Over the past few years, vandals, arsonists and thieves stripped the old resort of its dignity. The Carleton staff building burned in 2003, the old day care went up in flames on July 20 and the Ritz staff quarters burned on Aug. 8. Thieves have stripped buildings of copper pipes and electrical wiring.
Mold and moss grow on the ceilings, the walls, the floors. Jagged glass juts out of window frames and litters the ground.
The old hotel became a party hangout, a squatters' den and an easy target. The 96-acre hotel parcel is fenced, but the chain-link isn't keeping anyone out. The gates are wide open.
At 400 rooms, the Pines wasn't the biggest of the resorts that boomed during the Catskills heyday, but stars such as Buddy Hackett, Robert Goulet and Tito Puente played its nightclubs. The place had indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, an ice-skating rink, a ski hill and a golf course, as well as card rooms that were legendary with guests and locals alike.
For now, the hotel sits open to the elements, weeds cracking the concrete and vines clinging to the walls.
The 1970's pictures/postcards where found at http://ineedattention.com/pines/
