The building that used to house Olde Tymers Café in downtown Durango is undergoing renovations in preparation for a possible new restaurant.
Brother and sister duo Sean and Megan Dugan acquired the property in January for $1.3 million, according to the La Plata County Assessor’s website. The Dugans are the grandchildren of Tom Dugan, the late founder of Farmington-based Dugan Production Corp., a prominent oil company.
For Sean Dugan, who serves as president of Dugan Production Corp., Olde Tymers holds sentimental value, having been a favorite spot during his childhood visits to Durango. He now lives in Durango with his family and felt it was time to invest in the community.
The building has been vacant since August 2023, when Olde Tymers closed its doors for good. As the new year approached in 2023, Dugan learned that developers were showing interest in the property.
Concerned that the building might be redeveloped into condos, he and his sister decided to purchase it to preserve its historic significance and make way for a new restaurant to operate in the space.
“When we’d come up here, we’d have lunch there most of the time. And I really liked the vibe hanging out and felt like it was a great community place to go,” Dugan said. “When I found out it was available; the nostalgia of it made me say, ‘Let’s make a go of it.’”
Dugan has submitted an application to Durango’s historic preservation program as part of the process to make changes to a downtown building. Dugan said his team is in the pre-meeting stage of the process. It was important to him that the building remain a local hangout.
“I love that it was a mainstay in Durango,” he said.
The building is in significant need of renovation. One of the reasons Olde Tymers closed was the high cost of operating in the 2,300-square-foot space and maintaining the aging structure. Additionally, the business faced challenges with staffing the cafe.
“We’re gutting the basement. We’re replacing all the infrastructure, the plumbing, the electrical and redoing the bathrooms,” Dugan said. “It’s kind of a hodgepodge of corners and doors and random things. We’re creating an open kitchen space for the next tenant.”
Another focus of the project is putting an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant bathroom on the main floor of the building so that customers no longer have to go down stairs to use the restroom.
Dugan said that the rickety staircase leading to the building’s lower level posed a safety hazard.
He and his team plan to begin the full renovation project in the spring, aiming to have the building move-in ready by September 2025, somewhat dependent on the city’s approval process.
He said he hasn’t advertising for tenants yet but plans to do so closer to the building’s completion. He also intends to keep rent at a moderate price to support a business’ success in that location.
The building at 1000 Main Ave. originally served as a drugstore operated by Samuel G. Wall from 1881 to 1931. Wall’s initials are still visible on a faded advertisement on the building’s brick exterior. He worked under Charles H. Newman, who owned a network of pharmacies throughout Southwest Colorado.
“That’s a key property in downtown,” said Durango Business Improvement District Executive Director Tim Walsworth. “We know that when buildings become vacant in downtown, they don’t stay vacant for very long.”
Walsworth expressed excitement about what might occupy the space once renovations are complete and said he will likely be among the first to dine at the new restaurant if one opens – especially after the recent closure of other downtown establishments, such as Primus earlier this year.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
