🏢 Beach's Cadillac Café Building

Address:  625 North River Street, Hot Springs, SD

Built:   1927

📜   Historical Overview

Built in 1927, this wooden commercial building reflects the streamlined look and large display windows of 1930s motor-age design. On October 25, 1945, Maude French sold the long-running Vesta Café here to Tom Beach. In 1946 he opened Beach’s Cadillac Café (often misprinted as “Beaches”), a name that became part of local lore.

Through the mid-20th century the building stayed lively with food and drink. It later operated as the Hot Springs Bar & Lounge, Yogi’s Den, JP’s Family Dining, and other cafés and neighborhood gathering spots. As the oldest surviving wooden structure in Hot Springs, it illustrates how River Street commerce shifted from simple frontier storefronts to the era of automobiles and neon.

🏛   Architectural Notes

1930s Art Deco first level with a two-tone façade treatment

Distinct elliptical display windows framing the street front

🔄 Later Uses & Current Status

Historic tenants include Beaches Cadillac Café, Hot Springs Bar and Lounge, and Yogi’s Den

Current use: Upper Crust Café (restaurant)

🔍 Things SOS Is Looking For

Dated photos of the Beaches Cadillac Café era

Precise timeline of restaurant tenants and any non-restaurant uses

QR Code Info: Built in 1927, the Beach's Cadillac Café Building is the oldest surviving wooden structure in Hot Springs. With its 1930s Art Deco façade and signature elliptical windows, it reflects the city’s shift from frontier to motor-age style. Once home to the iconic Beach's Cadillac Café, it later hosted a series of bars and restaurants, including the Hot Springs Bar & Lounge, Yogi’s Den, JP’s Family Dining, and others.