Hart-Keresey House
A thirties-era Pagoda-style home in the heart of Reno's Old Southwest
This Revival Pagoda-style home occupies 2/3 acre of what was Patrick Ranch land in the early part of the 20th century. George Hart was a popular piano player and crooner from southern California who performed at such popular nightspots as the Corner Bar of the Riverside Hotel, The Willows, and the Country Club. He and his wife Marie, who married in Reno in 1929, appear to have had the house built in 1934-1935.
George had quite a following among local women and those who came to town in the 1930s to wait out their six weeks before they could obtain a divorce. One of those divorcees, heiress Marcia Farrell Keresey, received her Reno divorce in 1931 and remained in the city with her three children. Sometime over the next few years, she apparently won George's heart. The two married in June of 1937 and initially lived on Marsh Avenue, but seem eventually to have acquired the pagoda-style house from Marie.
The home was designed by an up-and-coming young architect Russell Mills, Sr., who had worked for pre-eminent architect Frederic DeLongchamps. Mills spent several years in Asia with his mother, who worked as a governess after her divorce. Oriental design was popular in southern California in the 1920s and 1930s. Some Reno houses have upturned eaves and a few other Asian influences, but none compare with the Hart House.
Components that identify the Pagoda style are the full-sized "moon gate," arched doorways, multi-level roofs, round windows, and the red and black trim. Skilled craftsmen milled the cedar siding on site to resemble stacked bamboo . Other unique features included an octagonal living room, three-inch-thick pocket doors, built-in cabinets and niches, and a rotating bed.
The 2/3 acre property has a tea house and an arching bridge over the original koi pond, and a walking path encircles the beautifully landscaped property. A seasonal creek (really an irrigation ditch) runs down the west side of the property.
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