Historical Marker Installation, “The Gut,” or, “The Valley,”

On Thursday, June 11, at 11:30 am, at the corner of Putnam and Phila Streets, a cast-iron historical marker will be installed commemorating a long-gone, ethnic Saratoga neighborhood.  The public is welcome to attend.  This low-lying neighborhood, known to many as “The Gut” or “The Valley,” once boasted a thriving Jewish enclave of storekeepers, restaurant and boardinghouse owners, and other artisans and merchants.  These businesses catered to not only to Jewish Saratogians but a seasonal influx of summer tourists who sustained as many as sixty Jewish hotels, boardinghouses and roominghouses in Saratoga Springs.

The installation is the result of a grassroots citizens’ effort to mark this chapter of Saratoga’s history with “something more tangible and enduring than the occasional exhibition,” says Amy Godine, co-chair of the Saratoga Springs Jewish History Project Committee.   “While none of the old hotels or businesses remain, there are enough of the old buildings on the ground to suggest the look and feel of the old neighborhood.”  The storefront occupied by Bailey’s Restaurant once housed two Jewish groceries, Lavine’s and Tannenbaums.  43 Phila featured the popular diner, Mother Goldsmith’s.  “There were many hang-outs,” Godine adds. “Joe Kovkin’s deli.  The Four Sons.  Honig’s restaurant.  The Star Deli.   Jake Aison’s Grill.  Mazor’s kosher restaurant on Henry and Phila.”

At noon, following the installation, Godine will talk about the old “Gut” neighborhood in the H. Dutcher Community Room at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.  “Straight from the Gut” is the concluding lecture in the City’s Spring Brown Bag Lunch series on aspects of Saratoga history.  After this talk, Godine and others will lead a walking tour of the Gut at 1:00.  The Jewish History Project group has also produced a self-guided walking tour brochure of the Gut, which will be available at the Saratoga Springs Visitors Center and elsewhere around town.