August 16, 2012

That 70's Hotel & Spa

That 70's Hotel & Spa
That 70's Hotel and Spa was located in a bustling resort town built upon a natural mineral spring. It was thought that the high levels of sulphur, magnesium, and iron in the water provided a variety of health benefits, the exact specifications of which varied widely over the years. By the end of the 19th century, it was a highly fashionable escape from New York, patrons included the Vanderbilts and Oscar Wilde. By the time of the Depression, there were more than a dozen resort hotels operating out of the town, alongside a highly regarded golf course, a number of bath houses, and other amenities common to resorts of the era.

That 70's Hotel and Spa which first opened its doors in 1927. Already the town was fading. Add to this the economic hardships of the Depression, which happened only a few years after the hotel was built, and the hotel was economically troubled from the beginning.

But after World War 2, the town again came into prominence, now as a getaway spot for wealthy German Jews. In 1946, Ed Koch, future mayor of New York, bussed tables at the Hotel. The town was again booming.

But the decline of resorts in general, as well as the building of the New York State Thruway, which bypassed the town, took their toll. One by one, the resort hotels and bath houses closed. That 70's Hotel was among the last to shut its doors, in 2004.


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