oUR HISTORY
On October 19, 1909 the Montrose Free Press proudly reported that the fraternal organization and secret society Knights of Pythias (Cascade Lodge #33) had successfully completed their magnificent new “KP Building” at the corner of South 1st Street and South Cascade Avenue in downtown Montrose.
Montrose, Colorado is about 175 miles southwest of Denver and was founded in 1882 with the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.
The KP Building sits in the heart of historic downtown, adjacent to the Fox Theater and near other landmarks like the old City Hall and the Montrose County Courthouse. It remains a symbol of early civic pride.
“CHARACTERIZED BY AN ELEGANCE OF ARCHITECTURAL LINES AND BY AN ARTISTIC FINISH THAT IS SCARCELY EVER DUPLICATED IN CITIES FAR LARGER THAN MONTROSE…EVIDENTLY BUILT FOR THE FUTURE…A BUILDING WHICH WILL BE A CREDIT TO THE CITY OF MONTROSE.”
THE RENOVATION
After a building fire and years of sitting vacant, the Rathbone Team made a bold commitment to bring the KP Building back as a community gathering space and viable place of business within Montrose’s downtown core and civic center.
A multi-year complex remediation, stabilization, and complete renovation of the KP Building followed in 2022, and The Rathbone Hotel and Parlor Bar opened its doors to the public on July 3, 2024.
RESTORATION RECOGNITION
In 2025, the Rathbone Hotel proudly accepted two significant historic preservation awards.
We were honored to learn the KP Building met the extensive criteria to be added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, recognizing this property’s contribution to the heritage of downtown Montrose, the State of Colorado, and America's historic architectural resources.
From the very beginning the Rathbone Team aimed to preserve the building’s deep history while making it again the “credit to the City of Montrose” the Montrose Free Press envisioned 116 years ago.
History Colorado Stephen H. Hart Award for Historic Preservation: People’s Choice
Given out annually, the Stephen H. Hart Awards are Colorado’s highest recognition for historic preservation project work being done in the Centennial State every day. Each project contributes to the field of preservation because of their innovative approaches, in-depth research, and/or use of proper techniques that honor the historic significance of the buildings and the civic aspirations as of the citizens who built them.
Rathbone Hotel | People's Choice Award | Stephen H. Hart Awards 2025
Colorado Preservation, Inc. Citizens State Bank Honor Award
State Honor Awards annually recognizes individuals, organizations, public agencies, and businesses from across the state, whose work demonstrates excellence in historic preservation. Past winners include the Grand Imperial Hotel (Silverton), Redstone Castle (Carbondale), Wheeler Opera House (Aspen) and the Pitkin County Courthouse (Aspen).
THE PRIOR TENANTS OF
33 S. CasCADE AVE.
The first floor of the Knights of Pythias Building has housed many businesses over the years, beginning with Fred Price & Co., a storage commission and secondhand store from March 1916 to October 1917. It was followed by Baker-Reinhardt Motor Company (Nov 1917–Jan 1918), then Swain-Van Derbur Motor Company (Jan 1918–Oct 1921), which became Van Derbur Motor Company by August 1919. Bennett, Schaler, Finch, and Loper operated a General Service Garage from Nov 1921 to Feb 1922. In 1922, Piggly Wiggly Market was on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple on Main Street and may have later occupied the KP Building until Safeway took over in 1944, staying until 1947. Mash Appliance was there in the early 1950s, followed by Hupp Furniture (1955–1958), C & R Furniture (1960), Gibson Furniture (1963), and Flairmont Furniture (1964–1968 and possibly longer). Budgetline Furniture occupied the space from 1994 until a fire in 2012.
HISTORY, REIMAGINED
