Random Stories
Giraudo Apartments
The Giraudo Apartments were constructed in 1928 from a design by Nevada’s premier architect at the time, Frederic DeLongchamps. The building featured two storefronts and one apartment on the ground floor, with six apartments upstairs. It was a…
Zellerbach Paper Company
This area around East 4th Street and Valley Road was bustling with activity in the 1930s. After serving as a lumber yard for decades, the entire block was starting to transform from primarily industrial to commercial uses, with four new buildings…
Masonic Lodge No. 13/Reno Mercantile (site)
The Reno Mercantile/Masonic Lodge No. 13 building, at 98 W. Commercial Row, was the oldest standing commercial structure in Reno when it was razed in January 2019. The lodge was chartered by Nevada’s Grand Lodge in Virginia City in 1869, and for the…
Wingfield House (site)
Perched above Wingfield Park is the ghost of the home of George Wingfield (1876-1959), Nevada banker and miner. The Wingfield house, once significant enough to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1907 at 219 Court…
Chinatown (site)
Following the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, Reno—like other towns in the West—became a home for displaced Chinese laborers. The Sacramento-to-Reno section of the Central Pacific Railroad was completed in the spring of 1868; Chinese…
John Mackay Statue
Dedicated June 10, 1908, the statue of John Mackay, which stands at the north end of the University of Nevada Quad in front of the Mackay School of Mines, honors the only Comstock mining baron to give back to the state of Nevada. In 1873, while…
Featured Stories
Santa Fe Hotel
The two-story solid brick building that stands today at 235 Lake Street is not the original Santa Fe Hotel, although it is located on the same site. The building housing the first Santa Fe was constructed there in 1913 for a man named A.J. Clark,…
Giraudo Apartments
The Giraudo Apartments were constructed in 1928 from a design by Nevada’s premier architect at the time, Frederic DeLongchamps. The building featured two storefronts and one apartment on the ground floor, with six apartments upstairs. It was a…
I.O.O.F. Lodge/Reno Savings Bank
The IOOF Lodge/Reno Savings Bank, on the southwest corner of Virginia and Second Streets, is one of the oldest commercial buildings in the downtown area. The two-story Italianate-style building was designed by the local architect John S. Sturgeon to…
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Mansions on the Bluff
28 Locations ~ Curated by Donna and Paul Erickson/Historic Reno Preservation SocietyReno Historical
A project by Historic Reno Preservation SocietyReno Historical is a free mobile app that puts Reno history at your fingertips, allowing you to explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city’s history. Learn about the history of Reno through layered, map-based, multimedia presentations, use social media to share your stories, and experience curated historical tours of the city. It is a work in progress, so be sure to check in frequently for new tours and stories.
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