Patrick Ranch House
Once the center of a sprawling ranch, the house is now nestled in the heart of Reno's Old Southwest.
The Patrick Ranch House, a charming example of the Folk Victorian architectural style, was erected at the turn of the twentieth century on the Arlington Ranch, also known as Arlington Place. Jane Lake, the first wife of Myron Lake, acquired the 160-acre property as a settlement for a loan. In 1898, she turned the property over to her daughter Florence Thompson, who in turn sold 90 acres of Arlington Place and the ranch house to Mrs. Fannie Patrick in 1907.
Frank and Fannie Patrick and their son Lloyd had come to Reno from Nebraska in about 1904. The Patricks became socially prominent and both Frank and Fannie were active in the Democratic Party. Fanny was especially civic-minded, serving as a leader in local civic, political, and social affairs. Frank Patrick ran the ranch and until his death in 1922, he and son Lloyd delivered milk from their dairy to the gambling clubs and businesses on Commercial Row.
Lloyd Patrick was born in Nebraska, but he attended high school in Reno and graduated from the University of Nevada in 1913. After attaining the Army rank of Captain in World War I, Lloyd returned home to Reno where he was put in charge of the Nevada exhibit at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. He married in 1920 and upon the death of his mother in 1939, inherited the Patrick Ranch.
The Patrick Ranch underwent a series of boundary adjustments over the years. In September 1923, Fannie Patrick subdivided the property into the Manor Heath and Manor Gardens tracts, while the portion surrounding the house became Arlington Heights Suburban Home Tract. After his mother’s death, Lloyd subdivided the property again and duplexes and single-family residences were built up around it. Ultimately, the original 90 acres had been whittled down to its current .14-acre size.
In response to a war-time housing shortage, the upper level of the house was split into apartments for Army Air Corps officers based at Reno Air Base (later renamed Stead) and their wives. The house continued to provide apartments for rent for several years after the war ended. In 1993, the current owners returned the home to its original state, sealing off the outside access and rebuilding the interior staircase.
In his 1935 book on Nevada history, James Scrugham called the Patrick Ranch House “an attractive country estate for a number of years and is now one of the elegant and hospitable suburban residences on the city.” In recognition of home’s historical and architectural significance, the Patrick Ranch House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It was added to the City of Reno’s Register of Historic Places in 2004.
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