The spindled Queen Anne residence that originally stood at 821 N. Center Street housed a series of residents, including Reuben Thompson, before Edna and Elmer Armstrong became the owners in 1922 and raised three children there, Raymond, John and Ruth. In 1923 they added a bedroom to the rear of the house, and conducted major modernization of the interior in 1953. After Elmer died, Edna Armstrong rented rooms to students, including young Jim Hulse. Ruth married LaMar Smith, a librarian at the university, and Ray became an accountant, establishing the firm Kafoury, Armstrong & Co. with Sam Kafoury. Ray Armstrong continued to occupy his childhood home until the early 1960s, building a small house in the back yard (819 N. Center), which housed a series of renters including Dr. Hulse when he returned to Reno after obtaining his PhD. at Stanford.
The Armstrongs eventually rented out the entire house until selling it in the early 1970s to the Waggoners, a family with UNR students, who sold the property in 1974 to Galen and Joanne de Longchamps. Joanne was a poet, publishing seven books of poetry. She taught at the University of Nevada, Reno and was also an accomplished pianist and collage artist. Her husband Galen was the adopted son of renowned local architect, Frederic DeLongchamps. When the couple later divorced, Joanne remained in the house. Upon her death in 1983, she willed the house on North Center to the university, to be used as a guest house for visiting professors and dignitaries.
Until recently, the former residence functioned as the Northern Nevada International Center, the purpose of which is to foster better understanding between people through its public diplomacy programs, language and culture projects, and foreign policy forums. In 2020, facing demolition by the University of Nevada, Reno, it was relocated to West Taylor Street.
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