STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It’s been a home for both books and bands, a place for gatherings and the source of a few complaints.

However, when investors Cam Boyd and Adam Feiges look at the former site of the Ghost Ranch Saloon, located at 56 Seventh St., the businessmen only see the possibilities.

“We just want to stress that in the end, we want to find the right use for this space — a use that fits into the city’s vision for downtown,” Feiges said. “We want to make sure we’re adding to the attraction of downtown.”  

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The two partners paid $1.8 million for the 7,200-square-foot space that was most recently the home to the Ghost Ranch Saloon, which closed its doors to the public more than seven years ago. The owner continued to host private events in the space until 2018.

The building was home to Off The Beaten Path bookstore until the building was sold in 2007 to Jean Sagouspe. He renovated the space with hopes of creating an authentic Western bar.

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To create the bar’s atmosphere Sagouspe brought the back bar to Steamboat Springs from Montana. The back bar was built by Brunswick in 1893 for the 1894 World’s Fair and become a centerpiece of the Ghost Ranch Saloon when it opened its doors as a live music venue in May 2009.

Boyd and Feiges are hoping to find someone who wants to keep the bar when they start looking for tenants.

The venue also has a full commercial kitchen and a stage with lights and sound that made it perfect for live music when the Ghost Ranch was in its prime.

From 2010 to 2011, the bar became a source of noise complaints from residents located in Howelsen Place just across the street. The complaints resulted in the city adopting new noise ordinances as the town grappled with the impacts of its new mixed-use landscape.

The bar closed in October 2011 but reopened to the public in 2012 and continued to host live music events. Listing agent Loui Antonucci believes the Ghost Ranch closed its doors to the public in 2013. It was listed for sale in 2015.

“I talked to Adam about it back in November, and the more we talked about it, the more we liked the idea of trying to do something here,” Boyd said. “We’re open to just about anything — even going back to a coffee shop or trying to create a commerce area with a couple of different food vendors that are willing to share the space.”

The two men say this in an investment, and they don’t have any plans to become operators. The plan is to lease the property to one or several tenants.

The building is located just down the street from the Yampa River and next door to a city parking lot that is expected to see improvements in the near future.

“What we’re looking for in the end is people with some vision who can look at this space and come up with an idea to build on what was here and to come up with something that works well headed into the future,” Boyd said.

To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.