Bisbee, Arizona · Founded 1902
A working Bisbee bar on Brewery Avenue whose local history is commonly traced to 1902.
St. Elmo Bar operates at 36 Brewery Ave. in Bisbee's historic Brewery Gulch. Local reporting consistently identifies it as a 1902 establishment and a surviving fixture of the city's mining-era nightlife district.
Local reporting and Bisbee tourism information identify St. Elmo as having opened in 1902 on Brewery Avenue.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, "Bisbee's St. Elmo Bar" (2011); Discover Bisbee, "St. Elmo Bar"; Tucson Weekly, "Drinking It All In" (2024).
Arizona's statewide prohibition era began. Later reporting says St. Elmo operated as a soda shop during Prohibition, but the reviewed material does not establish its exact business form, dates, or uninterrupted legal operation.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, "Bisbee's St. Elmo Bar" (2011).
A 2011 report said Phil Yossem had owned St. Elmo since 1992.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, "Bisbee's St. Elmo Bar" (2011).
A local feature identified Phil Yossem as St. Elmo's current owner and said he now owned the bar by himself.
Source: Tucson Weekly, "Drinking It All In" (2024).
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The claim is consistently repeated in local reporting and was attributed in 2024 to Bisbee historian Boyd Nicholl. However, no comparative statewide study or complete documentary continuity record was located in this review.
The account appears in a 2011 Arizona Daily Star feature, but the review did not locate contemporary licensing, newspaper, or business records verifying exact dates, business structure, or legal continuity.
The story was reported as owner Phil Yossem's suspicion, not as confirmed history. No independent evidence was located in this review.
St. Elmo's uninterrupted operation as a bar since 1902 is fully documented.
The bar's 1902 origin and Prohibition-era soda-shop story are widely repeated in credible local reporting, but the reviewed record does not supply a complete documentary chain establishing uninterrupted alcohol-service or business operation throughout every period.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, "Bisbee's St. Elmo Bar" (2011); Tucson Weekly, "Drinking It All In" (2024).
Phil Yossem and Sue Sargent remain the current co-owners.
A 2011 report identified Yossem and Sargent as owners, while a 2024 report identified Yossem as the current owner and said he now owned the bar by himself.
Source: Arizona Daily Star, "Bisbee's St. Elmo Bar" (2011); Tucson Weekly, "Drinking It All In" (2024).
The building itself is conclusively documented as having been built in 1902.
A local tour source identifies the building as a 1902 historic property, but a stronger property, historic-inventory, or primary documentary source is needed to establish the construction date conclusively.
Source: Big Jeep Tours, "St. Elmo Bar."
St. Elmo remains an active neighborhood bar in Brewery Gulch, serving residents and visitors while retaining a strong connection to Bisbee's mining-era commercial district.
Local reporting and current Bisbee visitor information consistently date its opening to 1902, though the primary opening record was not located in this review.
A 2011 local newspaper report says it became a soda shop. That account is credible local history but has not yet been corroborated with contemporary business or licensing records.
It is widely described that way in local reporting and tourism material, but the reviewed evidence does not yet provide the statewide comparison or full continuity record needed to establish the superlative conclusively.
A 2024 Tucson Weekly profile identifies Phil Yossem as the current owner and says he owns the bar by himself. An official business or liquor-license record would provide stronger current confirmation.
36 Brewery Ave, Bisbee, AZ 85603
(520) 432-5578
None on file
Current Bisbee visitor information lists St. Elmo as open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Hours can change; confirm before visiting.