At the West Lionshead bus stop, Concert Hall Plaza looks the way it has for years. There's a breakfast counter, ski valets, a massage studio and a Mexican kitchen, all under one aging roof at 616 W. Lionshead Circle. At the other end of Lionshead Circle, the Town of Vail scheduled demolition of the vacant Lions Pride Building at 500 E. Lionshead Circle to start Oct. 26, with work expected to take about three weeks.
The two projects run on different schedules, but they're headed the same way. Each replaces an old commercial building with private residences over a parking garage. Lions Pride is going now. Concert Hall Plaza is next, and Vail Mountain's Opening Day on Nov. 13 starts the last ski season its businesses will spend in the building they have today.
The Date Posted on the Diner's Homepage
The clearest date in the story comes from a tenant, not from Town Hall. In April, the Little Diner posted this on its homepage:
"Concert Hall Plaza will be torn down starting May 1st, 2027 and unless we can raise the funds needed to stay put here in Lionshead the diner will cease to exist."
The diner's goal is to raise enough money to buy commercial space in the rebuilt building, now called "The Apogean," and have the developer finish it to suit the diner. It launched the crowdfunding drive on its 18th anniversary, April 8, under the tag #saveourbacon. No final day of service has been announced.
The town's own Oct. 19 construction update lists the Concert Hall Plaza redevelopment as an anticipated spring 2027 project, which fits the diner's date. In July, Black Tie Ski & Bike Rentals called summer 2026 the building's final summer and pointed to a spring 2027 demolition timeline.
Put those dates side by side and the window is short. The diner's posted winter schedule starts with 7 a.m. service and usually runs from mid-to-late November to mid-to-late April, timed to Vail Mountain's season. During the fall mud season, from mid-October to mid-November, it opens about an hour later, around 8. That hours page was posted years ago, and the diner tells guests to call 970-476-4279 for current information.
Who Is Still Under That Roof
Last winter, a tenant group called Keep Concert Hall Cool published a directory of plaza businesses for the 2025/26 season. That list and Black Tie's July post together name these businesses:
- The Little Diner. In its July 22 story on the council vote, the Vail Daily noted that this is Tripadvisor's highest-rated breakfast spot in Vail.
- Casa Jalisco, Lost Heaven and Ski Valet & Bike Valet, all named by Black Tie as plaza businesses during the building's final summer.
- Sunshine Massage Studio. Samantha Sunshine created the "Ride to Renewal" morning yoga-and-bike outing with Black Tie in fall 2025, a few months after the building was sold.
- Mountain Market and Supply, which Black Tie lists as a snack stop inside the plaza.
- AlpenDogs and Vail Transport Towing, both in the winter directory.
- Black Tie Ski & Bike Rentals. Its July post described activity at the plaza shop during summer 2026, but it has not announced whether it will rent from the plaza this winter.
One tenant has already moved. Big Mountain Tuning started moving out on May 19, 2026, to Metcalf Commercial Park in Avon, where Black Tie's Vail and Beaver Creek operation was already based.
In March, before the council vote, Katie Bristow, who runs Black Tie and Big Mountain Tuning, told the Vail Daily what the tenants hoped for: "I think everyone really just wants to get a full ski season in next year because it's plausible that some of us will be asked to move out midwinter." A May 1 demolition start would give the tenants that full season.
The Other End of Lionshead Circle
The Lions Pride Building has been empty since 2020. At a July water district meeting covered by the Vail Daily, a district official said the building is "best remembered as the former home of the Swedish Clog Cabin." The building and the aging parking deck beside it, at 500 and 534 E. Lionshead Circle across from the Lionshead Parking Structure, will be replaced by Montelisse. The project was first proposed as Lionshead Circle Residences and is owned by Telemark Ventures LLC.
People walking or driving East Lionshead Circle have already seen the first change. The town's Oct. 19 update says crews finished removing the landscape island on East Lionshead Circle. Hyder Construction is the demolition contractor. Excavation and shoring come after demolition, once the building permit is approved. The start date has moved before. Earlier town updates listed Sept. 15 and then Oct. 12. The town lists Opening Day on Nov. 13 and Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 as no-work days.
When Vail's Planning and Zoning Commission voted on Sept. 8 to approve Montelisse, nearly a year before the water allocation, commissioner Bill Jensen called it "probably a change that's overdue for Lionshead as a destination," adding, "I worry for the long-term success of the community that without some redevelopment, Lionshead will only continue to age," as the Vail Daily reported.
What Goes Up in Their Place
| Montelisse, east end | The Apogean, west end | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 500 and 534 E. Lionshead Circle | 616 W. Lionshead Circle |
| Replaces | Lions Pride Building, vacant since 2020, plus a parking deck | Concert Hall Plaza and its tenants |
| Residences | 37 condos in a seven-story building | Nine residences |
| Parking | 159-space underground garage | Enclosed parking |
| Street-level business | No restaurant planned | Some commercial space |
| Status as of Oct. 2026 | Demolition scheduled to start Oct. 26 | Development agreement approved; anticipated spring 2027 |
Montelisse adds a heated, paved walkway around the building. Units can be owner-occupied or rented long- or short-term. The water district set the project's water allocation partly because the building won't include commercial services such as a restaurant.
The Apogean keeps a public walkway through the site, narrowed from 15 feet to 13 feet in the plans, and adds public art and an employee-housing fee in lieu, according to the Vail Daily's July 6 preview. The Town Council approved the development agreement 4-3 on July 21. The project had already won Design Review Board approval in April and Planning and Environmental Commission approval the previous September. At the council meeting, council member Kim Langmaid said the plan kept 14% of the existing retail and restaurant space, enough for two businesses. That count explains why the Little Diner's campaign aims to buy space in the new building instead of renting it back.
The same pressure reaches Vail Village. In its March report, the Vail Daily described Blü Cow leaving its space ahead of the Red Lion Building renovation, Big Bear Bistro looking for a new home, and the town considering incentives, tax breaks and municipal ownership to keep local food and drink in town, alongside what the paper called a no-net-loss of food and beverage to high-end retail emergency ordinance.
The Winter in Dates
- Oct. 26: Scheduled start of Lions Pride demolition, expected to take about three weeks.
- Nov. 11-12: The Lionshead ticket office opens for pre-season help, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Nov. 13: Vail Mountain's Opening Day and a no-work day for construction.
- Mid-to-late November: The Little Diner's posted 7 a.m. winter schedule usually begins.
- Nov. 26: Thanksgiving, a no-work day for construction.
- Mid-to-late April: The diner's posted winter schedule usually ends.
- May 1, 2027: The start of Concert Hall Plaza demolition, according to the Little Diner.
West Lionshead, Further Down the Road
A third, much larger project is planned next door. West Lionshead, a partnership between Vail Resorts, East West Partners and the town, could eventually add a new gondola, a music venue, 300 to 350 public parking spaces, and 52,000 to 58,000 square feet of dining and retail, according to concept plans reported in June. On Sept. 17, the Vail Daily reported that Vail Resorts said there were no new updates. The project is still working toward a pre-development agreement, and the Town Council would have to approve that agreement in public meetings. Even if it's approved, the dining and retail space it promises is years away. This winter, the restaurants and shops of Concert Hall Plaza are still open at the West Lionshead bus stop.
Michelle has watched Lionshead change over many seasons and follows each of these projects as it moves forward. If you have questions about what's being built on Lionshead Circle, or what it means for your building, Michelle Rampelt is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.
