National Register of Historic Places

Hotel Meeker

Meeker, Rio Blanco County, Colorado
Listed
May 6, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80000923

About this property

The Meeker Hotel dates from 1896 and is one of the oldest operating hotels in Colorado. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel was built in 1896, at a time when Meeker was a prominent stagecoach stop and visitors were drawn to the beauty of the White River Valley. At this time there were many hotels in Meeker, but none compared with the brick structure built by Rueben Sanford Ball. An east and west wing were added to the hotel in 1904, greatly expanding its square footage and boosting the number of rooms to forty. A series of pictures by H.A. Wildhack depict the building of the hotel. Construction on the hotel took place between June 9, 1896, and July 15, 1896. Materials were being shipped by freight wagon from Rifle. The Meeker Hotel is the only historic hotel still standing in the northwest corner of Colorado. The stone building, which currently houses the Meeker Café, was originally called the Vorges Building. It opened for business on May 9, 1891, as Meeker's new Post Office building. In 1904, it became the 1st National Bank Building and in 1918, Rueben S. Ball moved the café out of the hotel to its present location. Phil Jensen, longtime resident of Meeker, related a story of how back in the early 1930s he sat in the café's antique booths when they were located in the Midwest Café in Craig. Sometime in the mid-1930s the art deco style booths, counter top and bar back were moved to the Meeker Café. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Location

560 Main St.
Meeker, Rio Blanco County, Colorado
40.03726, -107.91301

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

St. James Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.2 mi
Meeker I.O.O.F. Lodge-Valentine Lodge No. 47
Industrial
0.2 mi
Coal Creek School
Industrial
5.1 mi
Hay's Ranch Bridge
Industrial
9.7 mi
Lay School
Industrial
33.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hotel Meeker listed on the National Register?

Hotel Meeker was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Hotel Meeker?

Hotel Meeker is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hotel Meeker?

The period of significance for Hotel Meeker is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Hotel Meeker?

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