Vail’s Antlers Lodge celebrates its 50th anniversary

There wasn’t much to Lionshead in 1972, when a new condominium lodge opened. Now celebrating its 50^th anniversary, the Antlers Lodge is still independent and thriving.

The lodge recently took a long weekend to celebrate its golden anniversary, with current and former condo owners, along with current and former employees, coming in to celebrate.

Rob LeVine called the weekend one of the best parties he’s ever attended. LeVine, now retired, worked for the Antlers, eventually as general manager, for virtually his entire adult life. By his reckoning, he’s worked in some capacity for the Antlers for 44 of the lodge’s 50 years.

“It was a rockin’ good weekend,” LeVine said. But beyond the celebrations, there was also community involvement. A number of owners and employees participating in the weekend’s highway cleanup.

For the older owners, current general manager Magda King sat down for bingo.

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Community involvement

The Antlers has long been known for its community involvement. LeVine noted that a video presentation during a dinner included messages from a number of community leaders.

Vail Mayor Kim Langmaid also founded the Walking Mountains Science Center. Langmaid noted that the Antlers has always been “very generous” in providing space for community events, and owners have provided free accommodations for Walking Mountains speakers and other special guests.

Langmaid added that the Antlers was also one of Vail’s first lodging properties to participate in the town’s Actively Green sustainability program.

King noted that the Antlers is receptive to any community group that “asks us nicely” for help.

The list of community groups is a long one, from the Vail Valley Foundation to the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. Town of Vail volunteer groups, including the Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council ,use the Antlers’ meeting space, as do other local business groups.

“It was really impactful, seeing and hearing the directors of those groups (talking about) how great the Antlers is,” LeVine said.

Return on involvement

While the lodge has long been known for its community involvement, LeVine said “those things come back in spades,” adding that the property just had its best-ever financial year.

King said that community involvement is driven not just by management and employees, but by the condo owners.

“Ownership as a whole is a great group of people,” King said. The governing board is “unpretentious, with no egos” getting in the way of running the lodge, she added. “They’re community-minded people.”

The Antlers community runs deep. King noted that several past owners attended the events, including three people who were original owners at the property.

The nostalgia of the weekend’s events came through during a Saturday evening dance party. The lobby was cleared out, a DJ was hired and there was an evening of dancing to disco-era hits.

Among all the events, including the annual owners’ meeting, was something a little special: burying a time capsule, to be opened in 2072.

King noted that the box held a mask, a nod to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as newspapers and magazines, along with photos of the staff, many of whom have worked for years at the property.

LeVine, still dressed in his ’70s finery, also included his 1978 ski pass with a photo of LeVine in his shaggy-haired, bearded ’70s glory.

As opposed to many time capsules that end up lost to time — there’s one at the Eagle County Administration no one will ever find — this time capsule is securely planted in a garden, with written instructions about its location and when to open it.

King said she hopes to attend the time capsule’s opening. King noted she’ll be in her 90s in 2072. “I just hope I’m not working then,” she said.