Park City Utah

Prospect Gallery (Old Park City Hotel)

A friendly spirit resides here, wanting in-house businesses here to be successful.

DESCRIPTION

This three story building was built sometime after the fire of 1882, using brick and masonry sandstone, with skilled details, which is probably why it survived the devastating fire of 1898. The second and third floors of this handsome building house apartments, while the first floor space was in between businesses when we visited, and was temporarily vacant.

HISTORY

The original Park City Hotel was built to serve the newly wealthy, upper-class who had reaped the benefits of their mining and ranching efforts. This very respectable hotel offered fine meals, elegant decorum and friendly hospitality. When it survived the wicked flames of the 1898 inferno, it gave the people hope that if they built with the more expensive materials like brick and stone, they also could be protected against being burned out again.

In 1913, it changed hands, becoming known as The New Park Hotel, where all meals, including Sunday dinner, were fifty cents. Throughout the years, it continued to offer great food, hospitality and a nice place to stay for the night.

Though it looked like Park City was going to become a ghost town, the ski industry and recreational businesses began to revitalize the city and area, bringing patrons and a new owner of the building, a family which renamed the business, The Claim Jumper Hotel in 1973. With the discovery of the great places to ski in Park City by many people, also came more hotels and resorts, which popped up at an accelerated rate in time for the 1995 Winter Olympics. Needless to say, as of 2008, Park City has grown and prospered beyond the wildest dreams of the city fathers.

Sometime during this 22 year time frame (1973-1995), The Claim Jumper Hotel no longer offered rooms for overnight stays, but continued to be a great place for eating and enjoying the saloon. Because of the huge success of this restaurant, the owners opened up two other Claim Jumper Restaurants; One in Heber City and one in Saint George.

The Claim Jumper Steakhouse was located on the first floor, and the restaurant’s saloon was located in the basement. The restaurant had the feel and look of an “elegant Old West hotel and saloon, with Victorian-style wallpaper, dark wood trim, hard wood floors and high ceilings.”

Both the locals and visitors loved the casually elegant and friendly atmosphere, and the great menu offered, which included fresh Utah Trout, huge Alaskan King Crab Legs, the catch of the day, as well as a wide selection of tender and juicy steaks.

The Claim Jumper Steakhouse is no longer open, and its first floor space is vacant, as of early June of 2008. I am guessing that it couldn’t compete with the newer, upscale eateries and restaurants which were built to please the new home and condo owners in town, the skiers in the winter and the recreation enthusiasts which visit Park City all year round.

Something new is planned for the first floor. Tom and I peeked in the windows, and saw evidence of remodeling taking place. In this growing community, this building is in a prime spot, right in the heart of downtown. The new tenants of this first floor space will probably have spectral company to help them out in their new venture.

As of 2020, the new tenants of this first floor space, Prospect Gallery, probably have spectral company to help them out in their new venture; selling upscale art to Park City’s tourists; mostly skiers and resort patrons.