When I was a (strange) kid in upstate New York, I became fascinated with an ad campaign that promoted — of all places — the Helmsley Hotels, then run by famous "queen of mean" Leona Helmsley. The campaign depicted a photo of a lovely hotel room, with the caption...

The Domes are located in Swan Lake, NY, which is in the Sullivan Catskills. When I purchased the property, I was curious whether one of the "Borscht Belt" hotels previously operated there. We had clues that the property had previously supported commercial operations,...