The Catskills setting of the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” has been admired for its legendary status. On Tuesday evening, a structure at the renowned New York resort that formerly hosted lovely family vacations and provided as inspiration for the film’s setting was destroyed by fire.
Overnight, according to the Liberty, New York, fire department, a three-and-a-half-story structure at Grossinger’s Catskill resort caught fire. According to them, the fire was so enormous that smoke could be seen “from many kilometres away.”
Firefighters had difficulty gaining access to the burning structure due to the overgrown land and the roadblocks made of concrete. They stated in a Facebook post that it took “many hours” and more than 1,000 feet of hose to suppress the blaze. It is unknown what the charred structure was utilized for at the time of its destruction. John Hauschild, fire coordinator for Sullivan County, told the Associated Press that the property’s main structure was demolished around four years ago. According to The New York Times, several of the other buildings on the land have been destroyed earlier.
“At the request of the Town of Liberty Code Enforcement, an excavator was dispatched to the site to demolish the structure once the fire was out,” stated the Liberty Fire Department. The New York State Police and the Sullivan County Bureau of Fire are now investigating the fire’s origin.
According to the Associated Press, Grossinger’s, an 812-acre resort approximately 80 miles north of New York City, was formerly one of the most legendary and opulent hotels in the Catskills, as hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom were Jewish, would visit it annually. In its heyday, it had a 27-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, a nightclub, two Kosher cooks, and a 1,500-person dining room.
It served families for about 70 years before closing in 1986.
The resort’s activities and surroundings inspired the legendary love film “Dirty Dancing.” The film, which was shot mostly at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia, and Lake Lure, North Carolina, highlighted many of the things that families enjoyed about the Catskills resort, including huge dinners, group activities, and dancing.
As a youngster, the film’s scriptwriter, Eleanor Berstein, vacationed at Grossinger’s. In a 2021 interview with the Center for Jewish History, she discussed her time there and the degree to which “Dirty Dancing” resembled the actual event.
“We couldn’t afford the Catskills because no one could afford to close the hotel and let us use it,” Berstein explained, which led to the production taking place in other states. “I attempted to get the details correct.”
That includes her own childhood dance moves and music CDs as inspiration.
The news of the fire sparked grief among individuals who had previously frequented the establishment.
“During its final years, I spent three Passovers at Grossinger’s,” tweeted author Sarene Leeds on Wednesday. Seeing the gardens and structures fall into disrepair has been nothing short of sad.
Alfred Doblin, a journalist residing in New Jersey, stated that he played at Grossinger’s in 1981 with his group, the Winged Victory Singers.
“We performed at all Catskills hotels. They were distinct locations with distinct identities that have now disappeared “He sent a tweet. “Grossinger’s Concorde, Browns, and the Pines… structures come and go, but memories endure.”