Historic Downtown Alleys
Some call Reno’s downtown alleys the heart of the city’s infamous past. Others say the alleys paint a vivid picture of early Western society. Either way, for decades the network of alleys that criss-cross downtown represented the heart of Reno’s gambling and demimonde activity. The alleys were laid out by Joseph Madison Graham as part of the first map of Reno in 1868. At that time, these unpaved avenues provided access to horse corrals, sheds, and small industries.
Early maps don’t name the alleys, but they were designed generally to be 20 feet wide. By the 1890s, large buildings were being built that fronted on main streets and crossed the entire street depth through to the alleys. Modernization affected the alleys and eventually they were paved, utilities were put underground, and parking was regulated.
Douglas, Lincoln and Fulton Alleys were colorful portals into a world of gambling, speakeasies, bootlegging, vice, corruption, and occasionally, murder. Further east, Lovers Lane had a long-standing reputation for prostitution, and occasionally, opium dens and speakeasies. Today the alleys are mostly utilitarian and overlooked, often unpleasant with dumpsters and idling vehicles. Most of the alleys have been shortened, as casinos and new buildings took over their footprints.
The alleys are public rights of way. These major alleys were dignified in recent years with glitzy signs, shaped like red arches and outlined in light bulbs. But the razzle-dazzle of these signs mark mostly vacant pathways, evoking a by-gone world of excitement, thrills and the underbelly of Reno life. There were many more alleys, now gone, in downtown Reno north of the railroad tracks. In addition to the commercial alleys in the downtown area, many of Reno’s older neighborhoods have residential alleys that provided access to garages and yards.
Lovers Lane
The alley's nickname reflected its association with the brothels of Reno's red light district.
Although unnamed and all-but-forgotten, Lovers Lane still exists as a sanitized version of its former self. The alley runs north between 1st (originally Front) and 2nd Streets and east between Center and Lake Streets. Despite the cement anonymity today, the area was once Reno’s tenderloin…
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Douglas Alley
Once called the “busiest little street in the Biggest Little City," the alley blazed with signs and activity.
The Douglas Alley of today is just a shadow of what it was in its heyday. Running parallel to Commercial Row, the alley once ran east from Peavine (now Evans) Street to West Street. Over time, the development of large casinos reduced it to its current single block, between Sierra and Virginia…
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Lincoln Alley
The alley between Virginia and Center Streets once featured entrances to bars, casinos, and other businesses.
Lincoln and Douglas Alleys reportedly received their names in 1868 from Lathiel T. Chase. Chase was a native of Illinois and a keen student of debate, leading him to name the alleys after the famous rivals Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Chase purchased four lots on Virginia Street that…
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Fulton Alley
Once lined with small businesses, the alley runs between Virginia and Sierra Streets.
Much of the length of Fulton Alley remains. Harking back to the way Reno alleys were originally used, Fulton is the only one that still has entrances to businesses that front on Virginia Street. Step through an alley entrance into the Little Nugget Diner for an Awful Awful burger, and you are…
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