Once the premier vacation destination in the country, the Catskill Mountains were home to over 500 hotels and resorts, alongside thousands of bungalows, just a 90-mile journey from Manhattan. Renowned as the birthplace of American comedy, the region provided a stage for icons like Mel Brooks and Barbra Streisand, who honed their craft in venues ranging from humble wooden 'casinos' to lavish, midcentury Modern theaters. Influenced by the vibrancy of Los Angeles, Miami, and Palm Springs, renowned architects like Morris Lapidus were commissioned to design some of the Catskills’ most magnificent showrooms.

Inspired by the Catskills' vibrant showrooms during the height of the resort era and their subsequent fading into memory, Isaac Jeffreys seeks to revive the splendor of the past. Through carefully staged and precisely lit night scenes, he breathes life into the midcentury remnants, echoing an era of elegance and artifice. This talk will bring ticket holders through a unique moment in time, with previously unseen images from the famed era of celebrities, under-recognized architecture, and interior design–as well as contemporary photos–followed by a short Q&A.

You can find more information on Isaac's work at www.isaacjeffreys.com, or on his Instagram www.instagram.com/isaacjeffreys. In addition, he serves as the Visual Coordinator for The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project, which is creating a comprehensive marker system that traverses the Catskill region along with an array of public programming and educational materials.