National and State Register

Antler Cafe & Bar

Routt County

The circa 1903/1904 Antlers Café and Bar in Yampa was initially listed in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties on March 11, 1998.  Antlers is locally significant under Commerce for the period 1904 to 1964 as the main stopping place along the historic road that is now known as the Flat Tops Scenic Byway as well as a long-time community establishment for food and drink.  The building is further locally significant architecturally for the period 1904, when it was constructed, to 1941, the date of the last significant modification, the addition of a small storage shed to the south.  Antlers Café and Bar is an excellent intact example of a one-story false front vernacular wood frame commercial building with a decorative cornice and large storefront windows.  Historically, the property, along with the adjacent Antlers Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1952, served as the main stagecoach stop between Wolcott and Steamboat Springs between 1904 and 1908.

A photo of the building from the front with prominent title printed in black above on a white background and large windows below and an entrance in the center. On the left is a wooden bench.

Antler Cafe & Bar

The property’s evolution from saloon to pool hall, bar with gambling, and, finally, to café and bar mirrored the times and met the changing needs of the community.  Mike and Emily Benedick purchased the property and business from Mike’s brother-in-law in 1937, operating it until 1996.  By 1940, they completed several additions to the original building to provide living quarters for their growing family.  In 1997, two old college friends purchased and revived the business as a gathering place for the community. They made minimal upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems and to the kitchen.  The property compares favorably with other false front commercial buildings remaining in Yampa.  Of those extant, Antlers, the National Register-listed Bell & Canant Mercantile (also known as Crossan’s M & A Market), and Montgomery’s Grocery are the most intact examples of the type.