Ski Bums Love It. So Do Billionaires and History Buffs. How This Aspen Hotel Kept Its Gilded Age Appeal.

While mostly log cabins or false-fronted shops passed for architecture in American mining outposts, the Jerome embraced a style more Gilded Age than Wild West. With a red brick and sandstone facade and elegant Victorian decor, it housed 92 rooms, 15 bathrooms with hot and cold water, a billiard hall and a barbershop. It also boasted electric lighting, one of the first buildings west of the Mississippi to do so.

But the exuberance didn’t last. The hotel’s owner, Macy’s scion Jerome B. Wheeler, sold the property 11 months after opening. When Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, the price of silver plummeted. Both the town and building went into decline.

Lana Turner on top of Aspen Mountain, 1953; The J-Bar, circa 1950.Aspen Historical Society, Ringquist Collection; Aspen Historical Society

In the 1940s, Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife Elizabeth rediscovered the near-ghost town. They remodeled the derelict hotel, intent on turning Aspen into a modern ski and cultural resort. The reinvigorated lodgings drew both ski legends and movie stars like Gary Cooper and Lana Turner. In the late 1960s, when the godfather of gonzo journalism Hunter S. Thompson notoriously ran for sheriff, he used the Jerome’s bar as his office.

NOW

Despite its years of hibernation, many of this grande dame’s original elements—from a circa 1889 call board to a monumental carved oak staircase—remain remarkably preserved.

A 1946 remodel moved the hotel’s legendary J-Bar from one side of the lobby to the other, and over the years the vibe inside has veered more cowboy chic than Victorian. Yet nothing in town feels so genuinely “Old Aspen” as pulling up a stool for a beer.

The J-Bar remains a place to see and be seen; Remainders of the past in the lobby.Hotel Jerome

Another major revamp came in 2012, after Auberge Resorts Collection took over management. Even if new, the guest rooms feel historically genuine, decorated with handsome leather furniture. Amenities include an intimate spa and an in-house dining program that features elevated Colorado cuisine and a rotating cadre of star chefs.

But the most visit-inducing element might be the stylish Living Room lounge, which sits just off the lobby and ranks among Aspen’s most popular spots for après-ski people watching.

Off the lobby, the Living Room lounge is popular for people watching. Photo: Hotel Jerome

The real-estate boom has replaced the silver trade, and billionaires, the mining barons. But the Jerome remains a palimpsest: a place to revel in the luxuries of modern Aspen and the best of its past. Says general manager Patrick Davila, “Nothing can replicate the stories that have happened inside these walls.”

 

Population of the town of Aspen

» 1890—1893: 10,000 to 16,000

» 2023: 6,612

A night at the Hotel Jerome

» 1889: $3 to $4

» 2024: from $783

A Martini at the hotel bar

» 1950: $0.35

» 2024: $22

1 ounce of silver

» 1890: $0.80 to $1.20 (roughly $35 in today’s dollars)

» 2024: About $34

Tickets to a show at the Wheeler Opera House

» 1889: $1

» 2024: $58

Ski season pass

» 1946: $140

» 2024/25: around $3,234

The Little Nell

Gondolas on Aspen Mountain.

The Après Way

You don’t need a lift ticket to enjoy ‘après ski.’ Here, a few historic local gathering places.

Aspen has evolved dramatically over the years, but you can catch glimpses of its many eras at buzzy drinking and dining spots all over town.

Housed in the circa 1904 Aspen Times building and now part of the Hotel Jerome, the chic speakeasy Bad Harriet features a great Margarita and omakase sushi from chef Kei Yoshino.

In 1988, Little Nell opened as Aspen’s first luxury ski-in/ski-out hoteI. Built on the site of what was once a funky ski-bum watering hole, it now hosts three popular (and significantly slicker) après-ski spots. Sip an Aperol spritz on the sunny deck of one of them, the Ajax Tavern, at the base of the ski resort’s slopes.

Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa opened his eponymous outpost, Matsuhisa Aspen, in 1998 inside a renovated mining-era house. Nearby, the White House Tavern offers signature burgers and sandwiches. And the gastropub Aspen Public House serves craft cocktails in the grand ground floor of the circa-1889 Wheeler Opera House.

Itching to escape the crowds downtown? Make a beeline for the Aspen Meadows Resort, a revamped landmark adjacent to the Roaring Fork River that features modernist Bauhaus buildings and staggering mountain vistas. The pro move? Order a round of caviar bumps and expertly concocted Martinis at its new West End Social for après—and save room for dinner.