Sharon Springs Moves Forward on Bathhouse Revitalization

SHARON - The Sharon Springs Town Board voted last Wednesday to allow Sharon Springs Inc. to remove the roof and floors of the Sharon Springs Bathhouse.

Part of the reason for the municipality's name, springs of magnesium and sulfur made the bathhouse a prominent vacation destination and the spa became a prosperous resort community, attracting the attention of the Vanderbilt family and Oscar Wilde. 

At its height the spa hosted around 10,000 people each summer and made the small community very prosperous, even boasting a direct rail line to a ferry station that would link to New York City and other metropolitan areas, such as Boston.

However, business began to dry up for the small community in the mid twentieth century due to a lack of tourism.The bathhouse closed and has since fallen into a state of dilapidation. Since then members of the community have attempted to further revitalize the community where many grand hotels and small beauty stores can be found.

With Wednesday's vote, the Sharon Springs Incorporation may be rapidly on its way to renovating the structure in the hopes of attracting more tourists to the area. The town board unanimously passed the legislation allowing them to remove the decrepit ceiling and other areas of the building with compromised integrity.

In other business, the town board voted to:

• Approve the opening of the community pool on the 27th of June.
• Reappoint Robert Countryman to the Joint Planning Board for the next 7 years.