Adler Hotel – An Abandoned Hotel in New York State

The Adler Hotel was a hotel in Sharon Springs, New York, USA with 150 rooms over five storeys. It operated from 1929 until 2004 when a new Korean-American investment group bought the property with plans to renovate however it remains abandoned.

The hotel was initially marketed at Jewish clientele who liked to visit Sharon Springs in summer. It had 2 kitchens, one of which was kosher. It was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style which was popular at the time. The architectural movement had begun in San Diego, California in 1915, made popular by American architect Bertram Goodhue. It quickly spread through California and made its way east to Florida.

The Adler Hotel as it was in the early days.

The Adler Hotel was built by Louis Adler for $250,000 however he sold it in the 1950s to Bernard and Hilda Wieder who had made a name for themselves by operating hotels in Florida. They bought it for $250,000 however sold it in 1971 for $75,000 to the Yarkony family. It closed in 2004.

Sharon Springs saw its share of wealthy visitors and the Pavilion Hotel, adjacent to the Adler Hotel, was a summer destination for guests such as the Vanderbilts, Rensselaers, and Oscar Wilde. The village is located 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Albany, the capital of New York State. It was originally settled in 1780 and called New Dorlach. The town of Sharon was established in 1797 and in 1871, Sharon Springs broke away and incorporated itself as a village which is still the designation it maintains today.

Sharon Springs has sulfur, magnesia, chalybeate and ‘Blue Stone’ springs which made it a popular spa destination with 10,000 visitors every Summer. As time went on, American high society began to opt for Saratoga Springs instead, a favourite for its horse racing. Sharon Springs found favour among wealthy Jewish families of German origin who experienced social bias elsewhere.

The village flourished for many years but things began to slow down by the 1980s. A lot of the buildings in Sharon Springs, built mainly in the early 20th century, fell into a state of disrepair and were later left abandoned or demolished. They included the Adler Hotel which finally closed its doors in 2004.

The restaurant in the hotel. As you can see, much of the furniture was left after the hotel was abandoned.

However, Sharon Springs has seen something of a revival since the closure of the Adler Hotel. The village has reestablished itself as a boutique destination for suburban weekenders. Some have made it their home. The hotel was bought by Sharon Springs Inc, owned by Kyu Sung Cho, a Korean business man. The company also bought the Columbia Hotel, Washington Hotel and Imperial Baths with ambitions to return the village to its glorious spa resort days.

The front porch of the Adler Hotel. The building is still in a good condition structurally.

Amazingly, the Adler Hotel can still be found on TripAdvisor and similar sites and the following review sums it up –

Okay, so my review of the Hotel Adler and Spa is a little misleading. I definitely would rate it a five star resort, but only if you’re an avid urban explorer or photographer. Unfortunately for everyone else, the Adler is no longer in business, although there have been talks of rehabilitating the hotel and reopening it. Until then, there’s no vacation to be had for conventional travellers here.