Vincent Kurtzrock
The unveiling of the Borsch Belt Historical Marker, honoring Lake Kiamesha’s Borsch Belt history, was held Thursday afternoon at the Adler Hotel.
The ceremony was led by Marisa Scheinfeld, co-founder of the Borsch Belt Historical Marker Project and the project photographer. This is the sixth historical marker of the trail out of 20 planned.
Siehenfeld describes each marker as a symbol that solidifies and reinforces a place of “refuge and renaissance.”
“Growing up in Sullivan County, I’ve always felt that the Borsch Belt was a story that needed to be told,” Scheinfeld explains. “To me, this project is a labor of love for the land I love.”
Scheinfeld and her team are grateful for the support the project has received and for all the attendees who came to the event. She also expressed her gratitude to Jerry Klinger and the Jewish American Historic Preservation Council, which funds all of the memorials.
“The night is all about photography, and if you’ve seen my photos from the Borsch Belt, they’re pretty depressing,” Scheinfeld explained.
Scheinfeld estimates that Lake Kiamesha has had 22 hotels and 25 bungalow complexes and considers its history to be long and glorious.
Attending the event were members of the Parker family who owned the Concord Hotel, members of the Gibber Hotel family, and descendants of the summer retreat known as the “Breezy Corners Bungalow Colony.”
Scheinfeld noted that the Rev. Everett Gendler once invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to give a keynote address at Concord’s Imperial Room, 10 days before King was assassinated in 1968.
In the Adler’s lobby, a slideshow of 200 photos taken by the photographer and his family was presented, projected around the bar area and further back on a sofa area.
“The cavern takes you through a portal to what I can only call the Lost City of Atlantis,” Scheinfeld explains. “Make no mistake: the Borsch Belt was living art.”
Her partner, Isaac Jeffries, said he was “really pleased” to be working with her on the Marker Project. He’s been following her work since he was 15 or 16 years old and feels Scheinfeld has put the Borsch Belt back in the public’s eye with the publication of her 2013 book.
“[I like that Marisa’s speech was about art because] “I mostly photograph the Borsch Belt at night,” Jeffries explains, “which is what I’ve been doing for the last three to five years and will continue to do so as long as I can.”
Jeffries said he goes to the field where Concord used to be, feels the energy there and dreams about the Imperial Room.
“I feel like I have to make up for the places I couldn’t shoot. [because I never got to photograph that]” Jeffries explained.
He talked about Morris Lapidus. [who designed the rotunda outside the room] As a very important figure in the Borsch Belt experience.
Lapidus is said to have created “some of the most iconic buildings of modern times”, such as the Fontainebleau in Miami.
Jeffries said with the Fontainebleau being celebrated as a midcentury gem, he had always hoped other hotels in Concord and the surrounding area would receive similar recognition.
Speakers at the event included Jimmy Parker. [a member of the family who ran the Concord]Cheryl Cashin [Granddaughter of Edith and Sam Miller, Owners of Breezy Corners Bungalow Colony]Dean Tamar Gendler [Daughter of Rabbi Everett Gendler]Lori Glauberman, [Daughter of Harold & Marilyn Gibber & Granddaughter of Abe & Rose Gibber].
The Borsch Belt Historical Marker Project’s next event will be “What Happens in Harleyville” on Sunday, July 21st.
“We are pleased to honor Lake Kiamesha’s history with the installation of Resorts World’s sixth historical marker. The evening saw many faces of friends, old and new, who came together to share in the joys of the Borsch Belt,” Scheinfeld said. “Part of what makes the Borsch Belt so special is the sense of community it brings, and this project will bring that feeling back to life, if only for one night. Our marker further solidifies the deep legacy of that era, ensuring millions of memories and history will live on forever.”
“As a young man who grew up loving hotels like the Concord, it’s almost unimaginable that we could be honoring a hotel of this magnitude, grandeur and pioneering nature,” said Jeffries. “I’m thrilled that the Borsch Belt hotel’s impact on the American vacation experience is finally being recognized. It’s been a long journey, but it’s been an incredible honor to work with such an incredible team and meet so many of the people who helped shape this era. It warms my heart and I am forever inspired.”
