Random Stories
Mackay School of Mines
The Mackay School of Mines set the architectural tone for building design on the University campus between 1908, when it was constructed, and 1941—a time when enrollment increased from fewer than 500 to over 3,000 students. It is named after, and is…
Pettis House
Ruffen and Gertha Lee Pettis bought a parcel of land in Black Springs, now known as 280 Medgar Avenue, from J.E. Sweatt in December of 1956. The couple had been living in Loyalton, California where their daughter, Bobbie Jean, went to high school. …
Coney Island Resort (site)
The electric streetcar line established between Reno and Sparks in 1904 enabled easy commuting between the two towns and spurred the creation of many new neighborhoods. It also led to the founding of the area’s first family resort, Wieland’s Park,…
Riverside Hotel
Widely considered Reno’s birthplace, the site now occupied by the Riverside Hotel has offered some form of lodging for more than 150 years. It was vacant land fronting an obscure ford of the Truckee River until late 1859, when a bankrupt California…
777 Motel
South Virginia Street was an increasingly busy thoroughfare in mid-century Reno, with many motels cropping up to serve the traveling public. The 777 Motel was constructed at 777 S. Virginia Street in 1964, one year before the street was widened to…
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…
Featured Stories
Regina Apartments
The Regina Apartments at 260 Island Avenue is a collection of units encased in a lovely brick building designed by Joseph Tognoni. The building's owner, Jean Sigg, was a successful Swiss-born chef who ran the kitchen at a number of downtown…
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,…
Howell House
At the corner of Hill Street and California Avenue sits a lovely Colonial Revival house that was home to five generations of the Howell family and later, as often happened with large close-in properties, adaptively reused as office space for…
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Reno 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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