We have this recurring thought that haunts us: What if we’d been savvy enough to buy a place in Park City back in the 80s? Before it was a household name and Sundance became an international juggernaut, and before real estate prices went through the roof. We didn't…but we know a guy who had the foresight to make it happen. It was 1989, and Jeff Barnard (now the co-owner of Bar X and Beer Bar in SLC and The Eating Establishment in PC) had just gone through a bad breakup. While things smoothed out, he decided to rent a tiny miner’s shack on Swede Alley near the top of Main Street. At the time, rent was a whopping $200/month. In Old Town Park City. It had no foundation, and the cliff just behind siphoned melting snow directly into the back of the house. The shower was surrounded by mildewy carpet that had seen years of use by a succession of ski bums. For a super-small house, it had some major-league funk. But Jeff saw potential…so he bought it.
So it's really, really old. But it’s really, really cool.
Fast forward to 2016: Jeff's tiny place is 420 square feet of Park City perfection. He installed a foundation, plugged in new windows, and did the sort of general sprucing up that lends a modern vibe while preserving every ounce of the home's quintessential Park City charm. We're talking everything you need and nothing you don’t here. Kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom…that’s it. The dicey shower situation has been remedied--in its place is a refurbished clawfoot tub that Jeff found upside-down and rusting amid the rocks in the front yard. No one knows exactly how old the house is, but a piece of newspaper found in the walls (they used the stuff for insulation back in the day) was dated June 16, 1882. So it's really, really old. But it’s really, really cool. And, as you well know by now, we love nothing more than an intentionally-designed space in which all square inches (even if they are few) are accounted for and used most wisely.
daytime hikes, quiet nights on the porch with a glass of white (and views)
Jeff has decided to offer up the place for nightly rentals, and if a few nights in this wee, Park City paradise sounds like something you might be into, we suggest you keep reading. 'Cause if you tell Jeff cityhomeCOLLECTIVE sent you, we've got gravy. With the purchase of two weekend nights--and the mention of our goodly name--you'll get two additional weeknights FREE this summer/fall season. YES. YES. From now until November 18th, you can post up in a gorgeous, Park City spot for four consecutive nights, having only paid for two (subject, of course, to availability). We're thinking daytime hikes, quiet nights on the porch with a glass of white (and views), then a craft cocktail or two from O.P. Rockwell and dinner at Handle. Then just head back to the house, turn up the Hall & Oates and let the night play out, man. Click the link below for the official VRBO listing, and don't forget to say cityhomeCOLLECTIVE sent you. This is what you call a win, win, win, win.
