Tombstone saloon, Arizona's oldest, getting a makeover

Renovations to The Crystal Palace, including the addition of a deck, will make it the town’s only restaurant/bar to have outdoor balcony dining. Construction began in June and should be finished by Thanksgiving.

Kim Herrig, the saloon’s owner, said she’s known since taking over Crystal Palace in 2002 that the new amenities would be the perfect addition to the historical building.

The Crystal Palace Saloon is the oldest saloon in Arizona. It opened in 1879 and has had about four different owners.

Herrig moved to Arizona in 1999 and saw a great opportunity in the saloon.

The building’s dark wood and the clothes worn by staffers help give visitors the sense they’re walking into history, she says.

“I knew the previous owner wanted to get out and I wanted to get in.” Herrig said. “The building was run down, the business side was falling apart and I could see the potential, it was the only original bar left in Tombstone and I wanted to be a part of the history.”

During prohibition the saloon’s owner removed its bar, moving it to Sonora, Mexico to try to protect it from being destroyed by authorities. However, the original bar was destroyed in a fire, Herrig said.

Harold Love owned the Crystal Palace for many years starting in the 1960s. Love also owned the OK Corral, which was taken over by his son after Love died. The OK Corral shares managing history with the Crystal Palace. Herrig credits Love for preserving the Crystal Palace’s old-mining look and condition .

Since the 1800s the saloon has been a constant meeting place, with miners who would get off of work and head to the saloon to gamble, drink and play games like roulette and wheel of fortune, according to Herrig.

The original wheel and roulette hang in a case on the wall of the saloon .

“Harold Love came in to the saloon and wanted to bring back the history of the original saloon,” Herrig said. “In 1963, he hired a company out of Tucson to make the bar identical to the original one during prohibition after finding the blue prints. The bar is exactly the same, mahogany and same scale size.”

Herrig said the renovation is a big project that she can’t wait to finish.

“The contractor is local,” she said. “Permits from the city were easy to obtain, the contractors are having to dig and put in footings outside in order to build the deck. The historical society was very excited about renovations and approved everything.”