History Is Cool!
05/19/2025 12:02PM ● By Sophie Dingle
Photo: The Arnold Barn was once a dairy barn but was moved in 2017 and now stands at the gateway to Steamboat Resort. Photo by Zach Taylor.
1. The Arnold Barn (Mount Werner Circle). Once a dairy barn, the historic structure now stands at the gateway to Steamboat Resort. The Arnolds raised Holstein cows, sheep and chickens for more than 30 years on their 160-acre ranch at the foot of what was then Storm Mountain (now Mount Werner). When the Arnolds retired, Storm Mountain Ski Corp. purchased the property, which has changed hands several times since then. The barn was moved in 2017, after years of standing abandoned at the edge of the Meadows parking lot.
2. Pine Grove Barn (1465 Pine Grove Rd.). Now operating as the Ore House at the Pine Grove restaurant, the barn dates back to 1889, when James Lewis homesteaded 280 acres. Owners over the years have included State Senator Jerry McWilliams, Russian Count Nicholas Lakuska and the Nefzger Cattle Ranch Company. The barn was converted into a restaurant in 1971. Some of the memorabilia displayed there comes from the original operating cattle ranch. The Pine Grove Ranch cattle brand is “b quarter circle.”
3. Mesa School House (34191 U.S. 40). Built in 1916 by local master builder Art Gumprecht, the building served as a school until 1959, when the state required rural school districts to consolidate. Historic Routt County led the efforts to rehabilitate the schoolhouse in 2000. It was gifted to the City of Steamboat Springs in celebration of Steamboat’s centennial at the turn of the 21st century.
4. Julie Harris Theatre (40755 County Road 36). The Julie Harris Theatre at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp was designed by Willard Sage, who attended the camp and later became an architect. He studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, whose influence can be seen in the theater. The building was named for camper Julie Harris, who debuted on Broadway in 1945. She played opposite James Dean in the film “East of Eden,” and is the most honored actor in the history of Broadway’s Tony Awards. Restoration of the theater was completed in 2023.
1. The Arnold Barn (Mount Werner Circle). Once a dairy barn, the historic structure now stands at the gateway to Steamboat Resort. The Arnolds raised Holstein cows, sheep and chickens for more than 30 years on their 160-acre ranch at the foot of what was then Storm Mountain (now Mount Werner). When the Arnolds retired, Storm Mountain Ski Corp. purchased the property, which has changed hands several times since then. The barn was moved in 2017, after years of standing abandoned at the edge of the Meadows parking lot.
2. Pine Grove Barn (1465 Pine Grove Rd.). Now operating as the Ore House at the Pine Grove restaurant, the barn dates back to 1889, when James Lewis homesteaded 280 acres. Owners over the years have included State Senator Jerry McWilliams, Russian Count Nicholas Lakuska and the Nefzger Cattle Ranch Company. The barn was converted into a restaurant in 1971. Some of the memorabilia displayed there comes from the original operating cattle ranch. The Pine Grove Ranch cattle brand is “b quarter circle.”
3. Mesa School House (34191 U.S. 40). Built in 1916 by local master builder Art Gumprecht, the building served as a school until 1959, when the state required rural school districts to consolidate. Historic Routt County led the efforts to rehabilitate the schoolhouse in 2000. It was gifted to the City of Steamboat Springs in celebration of Steamboat’s centennial at the turn of the 21st century.
4. Julie Harris Theatre (40755 County Road 36). The Julie Harris Theatre at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp was designed by Willard Sage, who attended the camp and later became an architect. He studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, whose influence can be seen in the theater. The building was named for camper Julie Harris, who debuted on Broadway in 1945. She played opposite James Dean in the film “East of Eden,” and is the most honored actor in the history of Broadway’s Tony Awards. Restoration of the theater was completed in 2023.