Filed Under Residences

Day/Creveling House

The brick bungalow at 571 Ridge Street was built in 1919 for Forrest W. Eccles, who moved here with his wife, Bessie, and their infant son, Forrest Kelly Eccles. The house was next door to the home of Eccles’ stepfather and mother, William and Emma Simmons, which was completed a few years later at 235 Lee Avenue.

The Eccles’ family history is told in the entry for the nearby Eccles House at 245 Lee Avenue, where the family moved in 1930. That move followed close on the heels of a traumatic incident at this home. On the night of March 11, 1930, the Eccles were entertaining Mr. and Mrs. George Gunzendorfor, Bessie Eccles’ sister, Mrs. M. B. Moore, and Forrest Eccles’ mother, Emma Simmons, when at a few minutes before 11:00 p.m. they were confronted by an armed robber who took cash from both Mr. Eccles and Mr. Gunzendorfor. John Francis McStravick was arrested and charged with the crime two days later. At his trial, Mr. Gunzendorfor, a prominent Reno attorney, positively identified Mr. McStravick as the robber, but at the conclusion of the trial, McStravick was acquitted as he looked remarkably similar to the individual who actually committed the crime.

Eccles had a new house built close by at 245 Lee Avenue, and after his family moved there in 1930, George H. Day moved into the Ridge Street house with his wife, Elsie. George Day was the President and Manager of the Reno Furniture Company and Elsie was a pianist.

Beginning in 1937, this house was the residence of Dr. and Mrs. Earle Lamont Creveling together with their son, Robert. Earle Creveling had moved to Reno in 1925 after graduating from the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia and practicing medicine back east for many years. In 1926 he married the former Catherine Simmons of Jersey City. In the 1920s, Earle served as president of the Washoe County Medical Society; he was also a member of the American Medical Association, American Society of Otolaryngology, and the Nevada State Medical Society, and served as president of the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners. He died in 1969, and Catherine lived in the house until her death in 1979.

The residence is of the Craftsman Bungalow style consisting of 2,230 square feet plus a 396-square-foot basement, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The architect is unknown, but the structure is a typical Arts & Crafts house with a low-pitched hipped roof, widely overhanging roof eaves, a generous front porch, and native building materials. The exterior of the home is faced with brick, which was commonly used in Reno; clapboard or shingles were a more common exterior surface in Craftsman Bungalows, particularly in California.

Images

Day/Creveling House
Day/Creveling House The Day/Creveling House is a Craftsman Bungalow built in 1919 for Forrest E. Eccles. Creator: Donna and Paul Erickson
Decorative brickwork
Decorative brickwork Decorative brickwork on the home is in a herringbone pattern, which adds visual interest. Creator: Donna and Paul Erickson
Low-Pitched and Hipped Roof
Low-Pitched and Hipped Roof The low-pitched and hipped roof keeps the house shaded and cool in hot weather. Creator: Donna and Paul Erickson
Shed Dormer Window
Shed Dormer Window A shed dormer can be much wider than a gable dormer, and can provide more headroom and therefore more usable space. Well-designed shed dormers are visually low-key, allowing the overall architecture of the house to be the star. Creator: Donna and Paul Erickson

Location

571 Ridge Street, Reno, Nevada

Metadata

Donna and Paul Erickson, “Day/Creveling House,” Reno Historical, accessed February 14, 2025, https://renohistorical.org/items/show/198.