Sharon Springs - To Be Rejuvenated

Sharon Springs - After World War II, Hasidim, many of them recent immigrants from Europe, made Sharon Springs' grand old hotels their own retreat. Through the years, their numbers dwindled, and tourism declined.
Yet the 550 year-round villagers remain optimistic that Sharon Springs, just like the many generations of visitors who came to be healed, will be rejuvenated.
During the past 10 years, local business people have put their and money into restaurants and shops and the renovation of two grand old hotels on Main Street and the most promising economic jolt came last summer when five investors from New York City's Korean community purchased prime village real estate -- three hotels and the Imperial Baths.
Their plans might well turn the village into a year-round health and wellness spa resort.

The Korean-American investors purchased the Adler, Columbia and Washington hotels and adjoining lots for parking for $750,000. Extensive renovations are planned, estimated to cost $20 million. They envision a three-year project that will generate 220 to 250 new jobs.

Plans for the resort include Asian and non-Asian menu offerings, acupuncture, a beauty salon, a gym, yoga classes, traditional and holistic medicine, nurses, doctors and massage therapists.
"There's so much demand already," they said, noting that the project has been featured in a Korean-language newspaper in New York City. "People are waiting for it to open."