Borscht Belt - Fallsburg

Borscht Belt - Fallsburg. . , Borscht Belt - Fallsburg , The story of the tourism industry in Sullivan County, particularly in the Town of Fallsburg, is vast and vibrant. Fallsburg was a major hub of the Borscht Belt. This segment of Route 42, known as "Hotel Row," led to about 79 hotels and 107 bungalow colonies. One of the first Fallsburg hotels was the Flagler. The Flagler family opened it as a Christian restort in the 1870s. In 1908, it was sold to Jewish developers who retained the original name for guests to believe it was connected to the luxury hotels built in Florida by oil tycoon Henry Flager. Flagler's hotels inspired a style of Borscht Belt architecture. Characterized by stucco, pastel colors, arched windows, and parapets, and later known as Sullivan County Mission style, it was favored at many resorts. Other notable area destinations were the Ambassador, Eldorado, Olympic, Furst, and Lebowitz Pine View hotels, and the Phyl-Bob Colony Day Camp., Borscht Belt , From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the areas. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare and generation changes.