Fire Rages at Old Homowack Lodge in Spring Glen

By Hamodia Staff

A raging multi-alarm blaze engulfed the abandoned Homowack Lodge destroying much of what remained of the once popular summer vacation resort of the Catskill “Borsht Belt” region.

The hotel, which had its roots in the Spring Glen Congregation which sprung up in the 1920s, served as a place where Jewish vacationers from New York City could spend a few days to a few weeks relaxing in the mountain lodge while enjoying kosher cuisine.

After several small fires in the 1960s, the hotel renovated the premises and added additional recreation facilities, and for several decades was considered one of the premier hotels in the region. With the decline of the industry, the property was sold to Machne Skver Girls camp which occupied the facility in 2007 and plans were set to develop the grounds as a new Skverer shtetle. The local residents of nearby Wurstboro and Ellenville opposed the proposal.

Those plans came to an abrupt halt when the New York State Health Department converged on the facility and did a massive inspection, concluding that it must be shuttered upon discovering dangerous mold throughout the building and other violations.

The fire broke out Tuesday night and quickly went to multiple alarms. As of midnight, fire fighters from multiple municipalities, including Ellenville, Circleville and Napanoch, were still working on getting the blaze under control ad eventually extinguishing it.