Kiamesha Lake isn't what it used to be. If you drive up there now, you'll see the Resorts World Catskills casino, all shiny and glass-fronted, trying its hardest to bring back the magic. But for anyone who grew up in the mid-century, the Concord Resort Catskills NY was the undisputed king of the "Borscht Belt." It wasn't just a hotel. It was a city. It was a 1,200-room behemoth that defined an entire era of American vacation culture. Honestly, it’s kinda wild to think about the sheer scale of what happened there before the wrecking balls moved in.
The Concord wasn't a cozy getaway. It was massive.
Imagine a dining room that sat 3,000 people. Seriously. 3,000. You’d sit down for a meal that felt more like a marathon than dinner, with waiters rushing around like they were in a high-stakes track meet. The resort occupied over 2,000 acres of prime Sullivan County land. It had three golf courses, including the legendary "Monster" course, which was notoriously difficult even for the pros. It had two nightclubs, a massive indoor pool with a glass wall, and enough kitschy glamour to make Las Vegas look subtle.
Why the Concord Resort Catskills NY Actually Mattered
To understand why people still get misty-eyed about this place, you have to understand the Jewish vacation experience of the 1950s and 60s. At a time when many upscale resorts still had "restricted" clientele policies (a polite way of saying no Jews allowed), the Concord was a sanctuary. It was where you went to see Buddy Hackett or Milton Berle. It was where families from the city escaped the heat before air conditioning was a household staple.
Arthur Winarick, the man who really built the Concord into a powerhouse, was a Russian immigrant who made his fortune selling hair tonic. He wasn't a hotelier by trade, but he understood excess. He kept adding wings. He added the Imperial Room. He added more elevators. He basically created a self-contained universe where you never had to leave the property.
But the success was its own trap.
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The Concord was expensive to run. Like, terrifyingly expensive. Keeping 1,200 rooms heated in a New York winter while maintaining a massive staff and world-class entertainment meant the margins were razor-thin. When cheap air travel started taking people to Florida or the Caribbean, the "Borscht Belt" started to feel dated. The younger generation didn't want the organized activities and the heavy meals. They wanted independence. They wanted the beach.
The Long Decay and the Ghost of Kiamesha Lake
By the 1980s, the writing was on the wall. The Concord Resort Catskills NY tried to pivot. They hosted conventions. They leaned hard into their golf reputation. But the infrastructure was crumbling. Maintaining a mid-century palace is a losing game when the roof starts leaking over a thousand rooms at once.
The debt was staggering.
In 1995, the resort filed for bankruptcy. It was a mess of legal battles and failed buyouts. A guy named Joseph Parker bought it for about $10 million, which sounds like a lot until you realize the property needed ten times that just to meet modern building codes. Then came the era of "casinos are coming!" For twenty years, developers used the Concord as a carrot to dangle in front of the New York State government to get gambling licenses.
It was depressing.
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The hotel sat empty. Urban explorers started sneaking in, taking photos of the once-grand Imperial Room where the velvet seats were rotting and the ceilings were caving in. The "Monster" golf course became overgrown. It stayed in this purgatory for a long time—a literal ghost of 1950s ambition. Eventually, the wrecking ball finally arrived in 2008. Most of the original structures were leveled to make way for what would eventually become the Resorts World complex.
What’s Left of the Legend Today?
If you go there today, you aren't going to find the old Concord. It’s gone. But the legacy is weirdly persistent.
- The Monster Golf Course: It’s been redesigned and integrated into the new resort. It's still a beast of a course, but it's more "modern professional" and less "1960s prestige."
- The Atmosphere: The new casino is nice, but it lacks the chaotic, family-oriented energy of the Winarick days. You don't have a tummler (a social director) yelling at you to join a Simon Says game anymore.
- The Cultural Impact: Shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have brought a weirdly accurate nostalgia for the Concord back into the mainstream. They nailed the vibe—the frantic pace, the over-the-top outfits, and the sense that the Catskills were the center of the entertainment world.
Honestly, the failure of the Concord wasn't just about bad management. It was a shift in how we live. We don't want to stay in 1,200-room hotels with 3,000 other people anymore. We want Airbnbs and boutique experiences. The Concord was the peak of "maximalist" travel. It was loud, it was gold-plated, and it was unapologetic.
Actionable Steps for Modern Catskills Explorers
If you're heading up to the area specifically because you're fascinated by the history of the Concord Resort Catskills NY, don't just go to the casino and leave. You have to do a bit of digging to see the real history.
First, visit the Sullivan County Historical Society in Hurleyville. They have actual artifacts from the Concord—menus, old postcards, and even some of the furniture. It gives you a sense of the scale that photos just can't capture.
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Second, take a drive around Kiamesha Lake. Most of the old resort footprints are fenced off or replaced by new construction, but the topography tells the story. You can see where the massive wings used to sit against the hillside.
Third, if you're a golfer, play the Monster. Even if you aren't a pro, standing on those fairways gives you a physical connection to the land that Winarick fought so hard to develop.
Lastly, check out the nearby towns like Monticello and Ellenville. While the big resorts died, the small-town Catskills vibe is having a massive resurgence. You’ll find better food and more authentic culture in the revitalized downtown areas than you will at any slot machine. The era of the mega-resort is over, but the Catskills themselves are finally worth visiting again.
The Concord isn't coming back. The buildings are dust. But for a few decades, it was the loudest, proudest place on earth, and that kind of energy doesn't just disappear—it just changes shape.