You can almost hear Mae West saying, “Come up and see me sometime,” when visiting the Paramount Country Club in New City.
When the Dellwood Country Club, the former “farm” retreat of Paramount Pictures”™ founder Adolph Zukor, came on the market in 2008, the member-owned club was bought by the Mandelbaum family from 
West Orange, N.J. They promptly began renovating the entire club and its guest suites from top to bottom investing more than $5 million.
The result? Now a private club with conferencing and catering facilities, it has also taken on a new name: Paramount Country Club. “It is ”˜paramount,”™” said general manager Glenn Wollman. “The investment into making this club into a real destination by the Mandelbaum family speaks for itself.”
With a brand new interior and exterior renovation to let in the natural light, the Zukor Road location is a hidden gem, complete with its 18-hole Tillinghast course, currently being restructured to conform to the links”™ original Tillinghast design by Jim Urbina, who has won kudos from Golf.com, which named him Architect of the Year in 2010.
“It was a private club maintained by its members and in addition to their yearly dues, there were constant assessments to maintain the grounds and the buildings,” Jeff Mandelbaum said when his family bought the property. “Anyone who belongs to a private club knows that assessments can become astronomical.”
Zukor himself would probably not recognize the interior of his former home, which now houses the conference/dining areas, a pub room and outdoor restaurant area. The pool where Mae West and dozens of Hollywood stars frolicked retains its Art Deco design and will soon to be complemented by a new outdoor bistro.
Like many private clubs in the region, Paramount offers complete packages for members, from an elaborate children”™s play area, 12 tennis courts and a totally renovated upscale seven-room guest house for members only. Wollman said the new bistro, which will offer a full menu, will be completed within the next year, complementing the pool and tennis court area.
The Paramount is aptly named, not just for its views of the surrounding mountains, but also for its unique history. The club has several pictures of Zukor”™s famous Gilded Age retreat before it was sold off. ”˜We”™re 45 minutes from Broadway,” said Wollman, “and I”™m sure that had a lot to do with Zukor”™s desire to be close to the city yet have a country escape.”
Rockland may not be “country” anymore, but Zukor”™s former farm, with its 18-hole championship course, certainly feels like it”™s a step back in time, when Rockland was truly a resort getaway. Mountains and blue skies ”“ and the lack of geese, thanks to the Paramount”™s border collie, Witt ”“ makes it feel like paradise.
“There is a treasure trove of photos of Zukor”™s home when it was in its heyday, when movie stars sunned themselves at the pool, lounged around the grill room or were out on the links. They are part of the club”™s history and its charm and will be displayed throughout the clubhouse,” Mandelbaum told HVBiz when his family took over the former members-only owned club.
“We”™re uniquely positioned to be a destination for anyone looking for a unique conference or golf experience less than an hour from New York City and Westchester ”“ or further up the Hudson Valley,” said Wollman, who remained with the club since the Mandelbaum family bought it from the club”™s members. “The Mandelbaums are a great family to work for and have really revitalized the entire club, the course and all the amenities and have kept much of what made it unique part of the overall landscape. The new name, Paramount, fits right in with what we are offering ”“ in my opinion, the club is at the very top of the list when it comes to destinations here in the region.”
