Room 4 Bar, located in the historic Silver King Hotel in Brewery Gulch, is indeed Arizona’s smallest bar. At 100 square feet and 4 stools, it is also the 2nd smallest in the country (Smallest Bar in Key West is 72 feet). While the novelty of its size attracts many visitors, it’s the vibe and music that keeps them coming back.
The Silver King Hotel, home of Room 4 Bar, is one of Bisbee’s oldest hotels, opening as a miner’s boarding house in 1900. It has a steep staircase that takes visitors up to the living room/lobby; a couple of signs point the way to Room 4.
The bar was the brainchild of the hotel’s previous owner, Danielle Martinez, who worked as a bartender at the Copper Queen for 28 years; as the 2009 recession hit, she was looking for a way to make more money and decided a bar would be a great idea. But where?
As she stood in front of two adjoining dilapidated rooms – 4 and 5 – it struck her. And so, Room 4 was born (it actually was quite an arduous process, refurbishing and converting the rooms), designed and constructed by artist and former Silver King resident Pablo Pencil, who had a background in building.
Danielle died in 2023, but her spirit lives on and the hotel continues to thrive, thanks to the current manager, Sarah Neubaum who was hired by Danielle in 2021. Sarah had just finished a 4-year stint in the US Army and was looking for a job. Danielle’s stepdaughter, who was also a friend of Sarah’s, recommended her for a bartending job at Room 4.
“Danielle was recovering from her first bout with cancer and was having trouble with numbers, and she just put me in charge of ordering everything. I learned on the fly,” Sarah said. Gradually, Sarah took over management of the bar, the hotel, the bar, and the booking of live music on the weekends. Sadly, Danielle suffered a second bout of cancer, from which she never recovered.
The Hotel
The Silver King Hotel is at 43 Brewery Avenue in the heart of Brewery Gulch, just across from Arizona’s oldest continually operating bar, St. Elmo (est. 1902). Little has changed from its earliest days. “When Danielle bought the building in 1976, the gas lighting was still operational,” says Sarah. The lines are now sealed, but you can still see the metal conduits wrapping the old brick building.
The hotel is “boarding house” style, meaning the bathroom and showers are shared on every floor. “It’s great for the budget traveller as well as local artists,” she said. Sarah has several musician tenants who exchange services like painting and cleaning for rent reduction.
The bar itself is known for its quaint atmosphere, affordable drink prices, and margarita-flavored jello shots. Thursday is Local’s Night, so those with a Bisbee ID can get even greater discounts.
The Silver King’s shared areas are filled with cozy couches, knick-knacks, and interesting Bisbee-related art. There’s a gumball machine that dispenses “Inner Beasts,” courtesy of local artist/hatmaker Karen Schumaker. “One of my friends coined our lobby ‘Bisbee’s Living Room,’ and I love that,” Sarah said.
Live Music on the Patio
One of the best features of the Silver King/Room 4 Bar is its lovely outdoor patio. For most of the year it’s cool and comfortable; in the winter time the space heaters make it cozy and warm. It’s the perfect size for bands to play and patrons to enjoy, with the music wafting out over the Gulch and into Zacatecas Canyon.
“It’s really a great place to play because the space is intimate, the sound is good, and people are there to support the bands,” said Josh Hampton, a local musician that plays in several of the bands that regularly perform there. And when it rains, the fun merely moves inside to create an even cozier atmosphere.
Danielle was booking bands on Saturday evenings, but lately Sarah has been able to add music on Thursdays, Fridays, and the occasional Saturday afternoon. “In the last year, we’ve really picked up our ability to book solid musicians and bands from Bisbee and beyond.”
Haunted?
Like many places in Bisbee, the Silver King Hotel is rumored to be haunted. Indeed, guests have reported strange sounds in the hallways at night. There is the story of an injured miner that lumbers along the upstairs corridors.
Sarah says when she first started working there, she had the same experience 3 or 4 times in a row: she would be closing up at 3 in the morning and she would hear the front door shut and women coming up the stairs laughing and drunk. However, when she went out to see who it was, there was no one there.”It hasn’t happened since,” she added.
The next time you’re in Bisbee, be sure to stop by Room 4 Bar, grab a drink, sit on the patio, and catch some of the great live music the town is known for.
Sarah Neubaum serving up an “AMF” specialty cocktail
Silver King Hotel/Room 4 Bar
43 Brewery Ave
+15204323723