The Hotel That Inspired Dirty Dancing Burned Down

An Aug. 17 alert posted on the New York City Liberty Fire Department Facebook page states, “multiple calls to Sullivan (County) 911 reported a large structure fire at the old Grossinger’s Hotel.” The post went on to say that firefighters had difficulty getting to the source of the fire because the area was overgrown, and once the fire was out “an excavator entered the scene to demolish the structure.” Most of the resort was demolished in 2018, although a few structures remain. “Dirty Dancing” stars Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Grossinger’s, which opened in 1919 as Grossinger’s Terrace Hill House, was a kosher restaurant that served a mostly Jewish clientele from the New York area. This area of ​​the Catskills became known as the Borscht Belt. During a time when many Jewish families were barred from clubs and summer camps, the area’s string of resorts became a place where the Jewish community could vacation. Comedians like Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Don Rickles and Milton Berle cut their teeth performing at venues in the Borscht Belt. “Dirty Dancing,” the hit film released the year after Grossinger’s closed, starred Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager on the verge of adulthood who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Although Grossinger’s inspired the story, Dirty Dancing was filmed elsewhere — at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. She also wrote a children’s book, “Jackie and Me,” about her real-life friendship with baseball player Jackie Robinson, a regular at the resort. The Liberty Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. Top Image: This 1976 photo shows Grossinger in his prime. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images

title: “The Hotel That Inspired Dirty Dancing Burned Down Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Phillip Baker”

An Aug. 17 alert posted on the New York City Liberty Fire Department Facebook page states, “multiple calls to Sullivan (County) 911 reported a large structure fire at the old Grossinger’s Hotel.” The post went on to say that firefighters had difficulty getting to the source of the fire because the area was overgrown, and once the fire was out “an excavator entered the scene to demolish the structure.” Most of the resort was demolished in 2018, although a few structures remain. “Dirty Dancing” stars Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Grossinger’s, which opened in 1919 as Grossinger’s Terrace Hill House, was a kosher restaurant that served a mostly Jewish clientele from the New York area. This area of ​​the Catskills became known as the Borscht Belt. During a time when many Jewish families were barred from clubs and summer camps, the area’s string of resorts became a place where the Jewish community could vacation. Comedians like Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Don Rickles and Milton Berle cut their teeth performing at venues in the Borscht Belt. “Dirty Dancing,” the hit film released the year after Grossinger’s closed, starred Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager on the verge of adulthood who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Although Grossinger’s inspired the story, Dirty Dancing was filmed elsewhere — at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. She also wrote a children’s book, “Jackie and Me,” about her real-life friendship with baseball player Jackie Robinson, a regular at the resort. The Liberty Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. Top Image: This 1976 photo shows Grossinger in his prime. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images

title: “The Hotel That Inspired Dirty Dancing Burned Down Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “James Gillaspie”

An Aug. 17 alert posted on the New York City Liberty Fire Department Facebook page states, “multiple calls to Sullivan (County) 911 reported a large structure fire at the old Grossinger’s Hotel.” The post went on to say that firefighters had difficulty getting to the source of the fire because the area was overgrown, and once the fire was out “an excavator entered the scene to demolish the structure.” Most of the resort was demolished in 2018, although a few structures remain. “Dirty Dancing” stars Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Grossinger’s, which opened in 1919 as Grossinger’s Terrace Hill House, was a kosher restaurant that served a mostly Jewish clientele from the New York area. This area of ​​the Catskills became known as the Borscht Belt. During a time when many Jewish families were barred from clubs and summer camps, the area’s string of resorts became a place where the Jewish community could vacation. Comedians like Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Don Rickles and Milton Berle cut their teeth performing at venues in the Borscht Belt. “Dirty Dancing,” the hit film released the year after Grossinger’s closed, starred Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager on the verge of adulthood who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Although Grossinger’s inspired the story, Dirty Dancing was filmed elsewhere — at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. She also wrote a children’s book, “Jackie and Me,” about her real-life friendship with baseball player Jackie Robinson, a regular at the resort. The Liberty Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. Top Image: This 1976 photo shows Grossinger in his prime. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images

title: “The Hotel That Inspired Dirty Dancing Burned Down Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “Margret Duncan”

An Aug. 17 alert posted on the New York City Liberty Fire Department Facebook page states, “multiple calls to Sullivan (County) 911 reported a large structure fire at the old Grossinger’s Hotel.” The post went on to say that firefighters had difficulty getting to the source of the fire because the area was overgrown, and once the fire was out “an excavator entered the scene to demolish the structure.” Most of the resort was demolished in 2018, although a few structures remain. “Dirty Dancing” stars Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Grossinger’s, which opened in 1919 as Grossinger’s Terrace Hill House, was a kosher restaurant that served a mostly Jewish clientele from the New York area. This area of ​​the Catskills became known as the Borscht Belt. During a time when many Jewish families were barred from clubs and summer camps, the area’s string of resorts became a place where the Jewish community could vacation. Comedians like Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Don Rickles and Milton Berle cut their teeth performing at venues in the Borscht Belt. “Dirty Dancing,” the hit film released the year after Grossinger’s closed, starred Jennifer Gray as Baby Houseman, a Jewish teenager on the verge of adulthood who falls in love with a hotel dance teacher played by Patrick Swayze. Although Grossinger’s inspired the story, Dirty Dancing was filmed elsewhere — at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. She also wrote a children’s book, “Jackie and Me,” about her real-life friendship with baseball player Jackie Robinson, a regular at the resort. The Liberty Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. Top Image: This 1976 photo shows Grossinger in his prime. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images