The HRPS Watch List

10 Locations | Curated by Historic Reno Preservation Society

In a rapidly changing city like Reno, one of the most difficult questions facing advocates of historic preservation is where to focus our attention. While the handful of properties listed on the city’s historic register are closely monitored by the Historical Resources Commission, many others only receive widespread attention when facing imminent demolition—which is often too late to save them.

In an effort to help draw attention to some of the buildings we’re keeping a close eye on, HRPS assembled a “watch list” in 2022 and have kept it updated since then. These properties have been selected not necessarily because they face any imminent threat (although some do), but because their future just seems uncertain, for one reason or another. Some of them have been vacant (or partially vacant) for years, while some have recently fallen into disrepair. Some are in use, but appear to stand in the pathway of new development. Some you may know well, some you may not.

With dates of construction ranging from Reno’s first decade to the early 1940s, these properties collectively help tell the stories of Reno’s status as a bustling transportation center, the “Divorce Capital of the World,” a thriving residential and business community, and more.

HRPS presents this list of historic properties not to point fingers or to raise alarms, but to generate awareness and appreciation. We want their owners, whether public or private, to know that we care about these places and that we consider them highly significant to Reno’s history and worthy of preservation. Lastly, we want to offer our support to help ensure that they can remain safe and protected for years to come.


NOTE: Of the El Reno Apartments, which are now scattered around town, the units of particular concern are located at 1461 Lander Street.