Lobster House

The Lobster family home in 1991 The Lobster family's second home in Black Springs was designed by Lloyd Walker, a Black architect in Reno. Source: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries Date: 1991

This site is part of the Black Springs tour, a partnership with Our Story, Inc. Visit the Tours page for the tour introduction and complete list of sites.

The house at 320 Westbrook Lane was the second home that the Lobster family owned in Black Springs. William (Bill) Lobster was the Fire Chief for the Black Springs Volunteer Fire Department for many years. A native of Mississippi, Lobster was an Army veteran who had served in the Korean War. He moved to the area around 1963 and lived here with his wife, Johnnie Mae, a native of Oklahoma, and their children, William Jr., Dana, Debra, Mary, Sharri, and Jonette. William, Sr. died in 1986, followed by Johnnie Mae in 2000.

This house is one of the few in Black Springs designed by a known architect. To design their new home, the Lobsters hired Lloyd Walker, a local Black architect who also taught at Truckee Meadows Community College. According to the community, the County was initially opposed to the house's construction, arguing that it was too extravagant for the community.