Exploring Abandoned Poconos Resorts with Matt Hurst and Katie Rey
(Photos by Matt Hurst and Katie Rey)
Amazingly poignant photos today from two fantastic Philly photographers, Matt Hurst and Katie Rey, exploring abandoned resorts around the Poconos.
Some background info on the region, written by Matt:
During the region’s heyday in the 1960s and ‘70s there were dozens of small, independently owned resorts that catered to a wide range of clientele. However, the past few decades have seen a confluence of problems ranging from changing vacationing habits to skyrocketing property taxes. Unable to provide basic maintenance and amenities, conditions at these resorts began to deteriorate, which further tarnished their reputation and kept more customers away. This online review from 2007 is a good example:
“The resort was basically deserted, there were very few guests around. The resort itself seemed to be suffering from a lot of neglect… All of the facilities that we saw on the resort were in varying states of disrepair… The indoor pool had patches of peeling paint all over the bottom. The tennis and shuffleboard courts were cracked and had weeds growing up through them… After being there, it was obvious why there were so few other guests there. The place is pretty bad. I’d recommend staying somewhere else.”
At that point many of these resorts had already closed or were in their final days. It seems in many cases the owners were optimistic that they would reopen within a few months or years at most and therefore left the rooms and facilities as they stood. Since very little of the decor had been updated since the 1970s in the first place, this allowed us to provide viewers with a glimpse of how these places would have appeared during their better years contrasted with the current state of decay in which they can now be found.
Matt and Katie’s project (which you can see more of HERE) currently covers five resorts, but there are still others they plan to visit… In the end, their project will culminate with a gallery show and book release in the fall. Really, really looking forward to that! In the meantime…
Streets Dept 
Matt & Kaite, come back and visit some of our popular hotels and resorts! We’d love to have you and we bet you’d love snapping some pictures of the gorgeous #PoconoMtns!