Mt. Rose Hospital Then and Now

421 S Granite/Sierra Street – Reno, Nevada

When looking into historic properties in Reno, nearly all roads lead to abusive husband, Myron C Lake. His wife, Jane (Conkey) Lake, filed for divorce in December of 1879 and spectators packed the courtrooms to hear all sorts of salacious details about everything she endured.

The divorce was finally granted in April of 1881 but the property settlement dragged its way through the courts until Mr. Lake’s death in June of 1884. The former Mrs. Lake ended up with considerable property holdings as guardian of their child once the estate was settled.

Jane Lake sold several empty lots in Block 15 of Lake’s Addition to Asa M Fairfield in the Summer of 1901. These lots were located on the west side of what was then called Granite Street between Liberty Street and California Avenue.

Lot 3 changed hands several times over the next few years but was never developed. Jack and Mary Davis purchased adjacent Lots 1 and 2 to the north in February of 1905 and built a large residence estimated to cost around $17,000.

At the time, the Davis’ Barrel House and Mecca Saloon were doing well. They acquired Lot 3 next door to their home and began construction of a large apartment building in June of 1907. This structure cost in the neighborhood of $40,000 and consisted of two and a half stories in the Queen Anne style. By October of that year, six furnished rooms were advertised for rent to “gentlemen only.”

*Reno Evening Gazette,* June 20, 1907, 1. Newspapers.com.

The Mecca Saloon was transformed into a fine dining establishment in late 1909 to comply with Reno’s new ordinance prohibiting wine rooms in saloons. This ordinance also stated women weren’t allowed in saloons between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am.

The new rules seemed to hit Davis at the exact wrong time. The house he and his wife owned at the corner of Granite and Liberty went up for sheriff’s sale in May of 1910.

Benjamin Raggio held a mortgage on the apartment building and it was apparently in arrears. He obtained a judgment in March of 1911 and began foreclosure proceedings. The contents of the building were sold at a public sale that September.

Sarah A Hegarty, formerly the head surgical nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital, leased the apartment building from Raggio in the Spring of 1914 and transformed it into the private Mt. Rose Hospital with space for approximately 25 patients.

Mt. Rose served as a surgical hospital for patients of Dr. George McKenzie (pictured below at left) and his associates. Also pictured are Hegarty and an unidentified cook.

Hegarty bought the building from Raggio in April of 1916.

Contrary to modern reporting, Mt. Rose Hospital was owned and operated by her…not by Dr. McKenzie.

As late as 1918, the hospital still had what was labeled as a large outhouse along the alley.

Hegarty married George E Trosi (pictured below at left) in San Francisco in December of 1919.

Sarah Trosi suffered from an undisclosed illness and the hospital closed in early 1922. She died in Berkeley, California that July.

George Trosi then used the former hospital as an apartment building. An attempt was made to reopen the hospital in 1925 but this was opposed by neighbors as a “fire hazard.” It apparently would have violated some newly passed ordinances.

Trosi sold the property to Archibald and Laura Allen in January of 1928.

The property changed hands several times and was underwent a few name changes. It was known as Armstrong Guest House, Tiffany House, and finally, Sierra House. Advertising “a monster in the basement” was certainly a choice.

*Nevada State Journal,* December 20, 1961, 20. Newspapers.com.

In the early 1960s, the address began popping up in the Arrests sections of the newspapers. Although, the offenses consisted mostly of occasional burglaries, a man was beaten and thrown out of a second-story window in May of 1964. In May of 1971, a Sierra House resident shot a man he argued with in the abdomen in the hallway outside his apartment.

That year, a small roof fire caused a bit of damage but was extinguished without incident. Sierra House was damaged by another fire in June of 1972. This one started in the garage area and caused damage to the exterior of Sierra House as well as a couple neighboring structures.

By the Spring of 1974, the building was showing its age but most of the intricate details were still intact.

The hodgepodge of additions at the back of the structure was sagging. Another small fire was reported that May but only a bit of copper wire insulation burned.

[WA-06308], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06304], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society

Sierra House was in danger of being demolished by February of 1979. Developer Robert Hardy intended to construct a large office building at the southwest corner of Liberty and Sierra and the structure either had to be moved or razed. Moving the big beauty was a complicated and expensive endeavor.

Photos by Jim Beazley, Sunday Nevada State Journal/Reno Evening Gazette, March 4, 1979, 20. Newspapers.com.

As options were explored, residents left the building and the contents were put up for sale. Workers began prepping the house for its move in August of 1979. Their work was further complicated when Sierra House was heavily damaged by a fire on November 17, 1979. No utilities were connected and the cause was determined to be arson.

Since most of the damage was confined to the dining room and the area directly above it, Hardy decided the building was still worth moving. A spot at Thoma Street and Holcomb Lane was chosen for both Sierra House and its old neighbor, the Nevada House. Rodney Orr handled the transportation in March of 1980.

[WA-06319], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06299], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06302], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06320], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06318], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06303] [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06297], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society
[WA-06301], [Photographs], Nevada Historical Society

Hardy Investments went to work remodeling both old apartment houses into vintage inns. By Summer, both interiors had been completed and roofing was scheduled to begin so they could open that October. Sadly, the Sierra and Nevada houses were destroyed by yet another arson fire on August 3, 1980. Once again, no utilities were connected. Only the front steps and foundation were left of Sierra House.

The lots at Liberty and Sierra sat vacant for several years due to a glut of office space in Reno. A project called 100 West Liberty was approved in September of 1985. The original plans called for a 14-story building but that was scaled back a bit. Planning progress was slow and a $10 million building permit was finally issued in March of 1987 for a 12-story red brick office building. Architect Alan J Beard of Portland designed the structure with four tiers of terraces at the south end for entertaining and parking on the second through fifth floors. A health club for tenants was also included in the plans. Construction reportedly cost in the neighborhood of $23 million. Partners in the project were Reno realtor Preston Q Hale, Robert Dant, and Warren Co. of Los Angeles.

Great Basin Federal Credit Union moved to the northwest corner of the main floor in January of 1989. Bateman Eichler Hill Richards, Inc. occupied the building in February followed by Guild and Hagen Ltd. and Hale Day Gallagher Co. in June of 1989.

Porsche Cars North America selected 100 West Liberty as the new location for its US headquarters and the building was alternatively referred to as the Porsche building or Porsche Plaza. Porsche held a dedication ceremony on June 28, 1989 with a 15-foot-tall Porsche crest over the main entrance on the north side of the building. The company signed a 10-year lease for the top three floors as well as an entire floor of parking. Their lease also included a couple five-year renewal options.

Cafe Soleil, which opened on the main floor later in 1989, became extremely popular with the downtown lunch crowd. Its hours were limited because the building’s doors were locked at 6:00 pm and the eatery relocated to Caughlin Parkway in the Summer of 1995. Great Basin Federal Credit Union closed its branch in the Porsche building at the end of 1993.

On November 3, 1997, Porsche Cars North America announced their US headquarters would move from Reno to Atlanta because they had a time zone problem. The company didn’t waste any time vacating the premises. Jones Vargas law firm moved into the former Porsche space in October of 1998. A new restaurant called The Wild Hare Cafe opened on the first floor in February of 1999 and it became the Corner Cafe in 2000.

The building sold for around $20 million in 2004 and it was renamed Museum Tower due to its proximity to the Nevada Museum of Art. Around that time the ground floor common areas and elevators were renovated. In 2007, the restaurant in the former Cafe Soleil space was called Paisan’s Old World Deli. The building was sold again in September of 2007 for around $38.2 million and for the first time since its construction, it was fully leased.

Since that time, the Museum Tower has continued to serve mostly legal, financial, and real estate firms, although Sports and Performance Physical Therapy does occupy a spot on the ground floor.

This is how the former site of Mt. Rose Hospital looks today:

Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King

It’s difficult to complain about a neighborhood which has been cleaned up significantly since the 1970s. Moving the old hospital was the right choice and losing it to arson was certainly unfortunate. I do struggle to praise a completely unremarkable red brick box which couldn’t scream 1980s harder if it tried. But it seems to be a positive for downtown and appears well maintained. I’m sure the views from the terraces are spectacular.

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May 4, 2026 0

Brady Implement Co. Then and Now

400 E Trail Street – Dodge City, Kansas

In the 1920s, the area inside the Dodge City corporation limits was quite small. Driving east on the unpaved Santa Fe Trail Street, you would be in the County shortly after passing Juneau Avenue. Aside from the Santa Fe Railroad, the few businesses in this neighborhood were mostly industrial and agricultural.

International Harvester Co. needed a distribution warehouse to serve Southwest Kansas and points beyond. They chose Dodge City for their new location in late 1928 and selected a site on the north side of Santa Fe Trail just across the tracks from the freight house.

This new warehouse was longer than a city block and would service and ship the complete International Harvester line. It would also include an IH truck dealership at the west end, which was connected by a wooden platform.

The complex was completed in the Summer of 1929, just before Santa Fe Trail Street was paved.

On September 23, approximately 300 guests attended an open house luncheon served by the ladies of the Presbyterian Church.

International Harvester employed more than 50 people at the Dodge City location.

Nevins Implement Co., an IH dealer whose main location was at Fourth and Chestnut, used the complex from the mid-1930s until the early 1950s.

Brady Implement Company, Inc. was formed on December 15, 1952 by W. D. and Marie Brady. This new International Harvester dealership held a grand opening in the west building in February of 1953. The long building to the east was occupied by Minneapolis Moline in those days.

Photos: Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

In addition to the full line of IH farm and home equipment, the Bradys also carried Graham-Hoeme and Schafer plows.

Around 1966, Brady Implement moved to its new location on Highway 283 just south of town. Dodge City Manufacturing, Inc. was formed in November of that year by Glenn Burnett, Dr. E. W. Shira, Cecil Maupin, Jr., Frank Epp, Carl Brecheisen, and Eugene Gurtner. This business occupied the former IH dealership until around 1976.

Newly formed Midwest Manufacturing and Supply, Inc. used the building from 1977 until a quitting business sale was held in June of 1980.

Curtis Machine Co. then used it as a warehouse for more than a decade. The facility has also been an auto repair shop. For the past several years, it has been used for chemical storage by the company occupying the rest of the old International Harvester complex, Omnium Manufacturing. Most of the windows and doors have either been boarded up or filled in completely.

This is how the former Brady Implement Co. building looks today:

Photo by Jan Shaw
Photo by Jan Shaw
Photo by Jan Shaw
Photo by Jan Shaw

You all know I love these old industrial buildings. This one is looking a bit haggard but at least no one painted all of the brick, unlike its long-suffering next-door neighbor.

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April 27, 2026 0

Bonanza Inn Then and Now

215 W Fourth Street – Reno, Nevada

The lots along Fourth Street just south of the former Reno High School were occupied by residential structures and outbuildings well into the Twentieth Century. Former Reno mayor Robert C Turrittin and his wife, Georgie, owned a two-story home at the northwest corner of Fourth and West Streets.

This property was purchased by the school district in 1936 for future expansion. The home was rented out while the district made plans for its future. At the end of 1937, the Reno High School carpentry class began renovating the house for use as a music conservatory for the school. Most of the main floor interior walls were removed to create an open rehearsal space with the second floor used for storage.

This structure survived until around 1951 when the new Reno High School was built. Having younger students at the new Central Intermediate School created a need for playground space so the children crossed the alley for recess.

Walter and Patricia Gorham purchased this land in November of 1967 as the district attempted to deal with the closed school building. In March of 1968, they announced plans to construct a four-story motel on the corner property. The Gorhams also obtained property on the north side of the alley to for use as a parking lot once the old high school was demolished.

Architect Russell H Clopine designed the motel constructed out of concrete blocks with an elevator and heated pool. The Bonanza Inn advertised as being Reno’s newest luxury motor inn with 57 deluxe king-queen bed units.

Guests at the motel, often advertised as Bonanza Motor Inn, experienced the same types of petty crimes as nearby establishments like cars being broken into and personal items stolen from rooms. Possibly the most interesting incident was when a man robbed First Interstate Bank to pay for an extra night in his room in January of 1996. He was arrested minutes after leaving the office.

I’m not privy to what took place between the Gorhams but it appears they divorced in the 1990s and Patricia kept the motel. Advertising was sparse with simple listings in various travel guides. A website was attempted but it doesn’t look like it was ever fully functional. Trip Advisor reviews were sparse but surprisingly positive. Amazingly, that small circular pool was never filled in.

The property began receiving regular citations as early as the Summer of 2012 when the City of Reno focused on code enforcement projects in the neighborhood. 2015 and 2017 were also big years. The Bonanza’s aging elevator and stairs became an issue when city codes were updated. If you’ve ever needed to repair or (God forbid) replace an elevator, you know what a nightmare that can be.

Patricia Gorham died, apparently without a will, in July of 2020. Her six children then had some serious decisions to make and they were not on the same page. Son John seemed to be the only one interested in keeping the Bonanza open. However, he said the City wouldn’t allow them to bring in any new tenants due to the access situation. That meant as residents moved on, rents continued to decline until they had no choice but to close and hold a probate sale. By this time, neighbors reported broken windows, used needles in the parking lot, and people actually staying in their cars out in the lot.

Reno Housing Authority looked at buying the Bonanza in 2022, as did developer Jeff Jacobs. He was in and he was out. And then he was in again, finally buying the property in July of 2024. As he generally does, Jacobs claimed he would rehab the facility and turn it into a housing property called The Breeze. Indeed, a permit was issued to renovate all units in June of 2025. Asbestos was detected in the walls, ceilings, flooring, and boiler so remediation was the first order of business. And the property sat.

That December, Jacobs issued another whoopsie and stated the Bonanza would have to be demolished because it was his first day as a developer and did you guys know this stuff is expensive? So another permit was issued and the asbestos was supposed to be removed by the end of January. The completion date has been extended a couple times. The plastic was still up when I stopped by at the end of February to grab some photos.

It’s no wonder so many Renoites think the fix is in after hearing the same story repeatedly and getting a completely different outcome. These developers are either insanely incompetent or they’re just straight up lying every single time. There has to be some middle ground between gentrification and slums.

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April 20, 2026 0

Buzz-Inn Then and Now

2307 Central Avenue – Dodge City, Kansas

As late as 1960, the west side of Central Avenue between Plaza Avenue and Kinkead Street was lined with trees and not much else. James and Lois Hart had it platted in June of 1957 but development took a while to materialize.

The Ku-Ku Burger Bar was a 15-cent hamburger restaurant with an exaggerated gable roof and an actual, functional cuckoo clock on the front of the building. The exact origin has unfortunately been lost to microfilm.

In August of 1964, Munroe Realty of Kearney, Nebraska advertised franchising opportunities with a minimum investment of $8,000 claiming to be the exclusive agents. However, William and Ferne Munroe relocated to Oklahoma City shortly after the brief ad run.

That November, Joe Secrest of Manhattan, Kansas ran a similar ad in the Globe but with a minimum $10,000 investment.

By December, Ku-Ku had locations in Salina, Great Bend, McPherson, Arkansas City, and Winfield with another ready to open in Emporia. Restaurants in Garden City and Olathe opened the following year.

Ku Ku of Dodge City, Inc. was formed on April 5, 1965 and began hiring that summer. Although there still wasn’t much happening commercially in that area, the restaurant was well situated between the old high school on First Avenue and St. Mary of the Plains College.

A management training program was in place for franchisees to learn the Ku-Ku system but it mostly consisted of working in another restaurant to gain hands-on experience. There wasn’t a big corporate support system. In fact, Ku-Ku Franchising Systems, Inc. wasn’t officially formed until September 17, 1965. This Missouri company had a registered address in Kansas City’s John Hancock Building, which was a franchise farm, selling “opportunities” for multiple entities. And after a year, the minimum investment had ballooned to $20,000.

At the chain’s height, there were reportedly as many as 200 Ku-Ku Burger Bars, mostly in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri but a couple outliers existed in Nampa, Idaho and Lima, Ohio.

Ku-Ku’s corporate entity went bankrupt and so did many franchisees after they lost their supply of ingredients and branding support. Several had taken out small business loans to open the restaurants and many foreclosures took place with equipment sold for pennies on the dollar. Some franchisees had luck selling to other chains like Hardee’s. Others, like Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger in Miami, Oklahoma, continued the brand independently.

Ku Ku of Dodge City formally changed its name to Buzz-Inn, Inc. in January of 1967 and initially retained the quirky architecture.

Russell “Buss” Taylor and his wife, Mary, remodeled the building in 1972 and the front gable with the cuckoo bird was removed. By that time, inflation had raised the price of a regular hamburger to 19 cents.

The high school lunch crowd wasn’t enough to save the Buzz-Inn. A liquidation sale was held on February 28, 1978 and the corporation was dissolved that September.

The building was moved to what is now the BLUE RV Park behind Miss Kitty’s Cafe so that First National Bank and Trust Company could build a drive-thru branch on the corner of Central and Kinkead. Architects Gurtner and Robison designed a modern building which “offer[ed] new approaches in style.” That was quite the understatement.

Bank President John Harding is pictured below during the groundbreaking ceremony in June of 1978.

A grand opening event, which included a full parade from the main bank to the new branch, was held on April 21, 1979.

The bank was joined by a standalone Payless Shoes building just to the south around the same time. That store relocated to the Village Square Shopping Center by 1990 and was replaced by Curtis Mathes Home Center.

First National Bank was acquired by Bank IV Kansas in June of 1994. It changed hands a couple more times and became Bank of America around 1999. Bank of America exited Dodge City completely in 2014. Since then, the former north branch has had the appearance of a vacant building but it has obviously been in use. A number of businesses have occupied the former Payless including a Maytag store and a Credit Union of Dodge City branch. Marathon Health has been located there for a number of years.

This is how the site of the former Buzz-Inn looks today:

Apologies in advance to anyone this may offend but I laugh every time I see the former bank. It’s one of those places that cannot be beautified and it’s very close to the 50-year milestone for having it designated a historic structure. I guess it was considered edgy at the time but that property was better off with the wacky cuckoo clock.

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April 13, 2026 0

Oberon Saloon Then and Now

20 E Commercial Row – Reno, Nevada

Attorney Isreal B Marshall arrived in Reno on a train from Sacramento around 1868. He set up an office on Commercial Row across from the passenger depot and built a house near the Depot Hotel.

A fire in November of 1873 destroyed more than 100 buildings covering several blocks of Downtown Reno. Marshall’s place was one of them and he carried no insurance. He also invested in commercial real estate and again lost structures to fire in 1876.

Lot 6 on the south side of Commercial Row between Virginia and Center Streets was filled with a one-story brick building in late 1877. Marshall hosted dance parties in the stone basement in the Spring of 1878. In December of that year, Elia Chielovich rented the ground floor for a card room toward the back of the building and made an opening into the Wine House, which was next door to the west. The front storeroom was sublet to S. N. Davidson for his jewelry store. The drug store of John F Myers joined Davidson in the Marshall Building in the Spring of 1879.

Marshall leased the building to a variety of tenants before a new financial institution called The Bank of Nevada signed a three-year agreement in April of 1887.

The bank constructed their own quarters and vacated the Marshall Building at the end of their lease. Charles Coleman and Mark Morris moved their barbershop into the former bank in May of 1896.

Well-known saloon operator Alex Dromiack opened the Reception in the Marshall Building in August of 1898. It was referred to as a “resort,” meaning a place for “gentlemen” to meet and be merry. The Reception became known as a bit of a political hangout as well.

Judge Marshall died in June of 1899, leaving his widow Phebe to manage their commercial properties. Charles Dreyer of Napa purchased the Reception in January of 1902 but Phebe Marshall initially retained ownership of the property.

Dreyer immediately began remodeling the newly renamed Oberon inside and out. The front of the building was removed and replaced with plate glass. An elaborate back bar made of English quartered oak and mahogany was installed in the front. “Sporting rooms” were located in the rear. A grand opening event was held on March 1, 1902.

Later that month, an electric sign with flashing lights was installed outside the Oberon. It was reportedly the first of its kind in Nevada. Wine rooms were built at the rear of the building in April and a mineral cabinet was installed that August. Another brick addition was constructed in October. Dreyer bought the building from Phebe Marshall in November of 1902.

In the Spring of 1903, a second story was added to the Oberon connecting to the Louvre Lacey building to the east, which Dreyer also purchased. This space was dedicated to electric keno and assorted table games. Although the Victorian Era was essentially over, the light-colored exterior of the building was adorned with decorative moldings, gingerbread trim, and a decorative ironclad parapet. The ceiling on the first floor was also described as being ironclad but it’s possible based on the year of installation that this was actually pressed tin. The Oberon had a cigar stand and lunch counter in addition to the drinking and gambling operations.

Dreyer sold the Oberon to William Wacker and P. J. Campbell in July of 1905 but retained ownership of the property. The partnership reportedly paid $16,000 for the business and $300 per month in rent.

Crowds are shown here outside the Oberon on July 4, 1910, the day of the Johnson-Jeffries fight.

The anti-gambling law of 1909 put a damper on his income stream so Dreyer leased the full upstairs area to the Danish Society in November of 1911. This space became known as Dania Hall, which hosted meetings of Modern Woodmen of America and Women of Woodcraft in addition to various social functions.

Charles Meyer obtained Dreyer’s liquor license in June of 1913 and he transferred it to the partnership of Nels Bloch Christensen and Tobias Boel in July of 1914. Frank Mitchell, who was still running percentage poker games in the Oberon, was arrested during a police raid in September of 1915.

Mitchell testified someone named Curley paid him to run the games but it doesn’t appear prosecutors were able to discover Curley’s identity. The ordeal cost him about $1,500 and he got on with his life.

Prohibition caused the Oberon to lean further into food service.

However, the establishment wasn’t fully compliant and bartender Charles V Schmidt was shot while working at the Oberon in March of 1921. The shooting apparently stemmed from a disagreement over the poker operation and W. K. Johnson received a 10 to 20-year sentence for second degree murder.

The Oberon was raided again for selling liquor in July of 1922. Bartender Frank Smith was fined $1,500.

The bar and back bar were advertised for sale that September and that was the end of the Oberon.

Ernest and Silvio Sessa then leased the main floor for their tailoring and men’s furnishing goods business.

The new Dania Hall at Seventh and Sierra was completed in 1926, making the second floor available for lease in August of that year. Merryland Dance Hall and Danceland later occupied that space.

*Reno Evening Gazette,* August 25, 1926, 4. Newspapers.com.

Sessa and Co. held a close-out sale in November of 1927 and the building became occupied by Emil Weichert, who operated an eatery alternatively known as the Peerless Bakery and Cafe or Peerless Coffee Shop.

The end of Prohibition in 1933 signaled the return of drinking and gambling in the former Oberon Saloon.

Nels Fisher and Martin Jensen operated the Tivoli Bar until around 1940 and shared space with Star Taxi Co.

The upstairs dance hall became vacant around 1938 but the taxi company operated until around 1946. The second floor was remodeled into apartments. John Lawrence was issued a cabaret license and a permit to operate a craps game at the newly remodeled Cherokee Club in June of 1947. The club’s grand opening was on July 2.

The building also housed the Cherokee Cafe, which was operated by H. M. Messervy. Both were heavily damaged in a fire on December 11, 1948. Steve Brown, a janitor at The Den bar next door, died of asphyxiation in a stairway near his basement living quarters. Residents in the upstairs rooms were unharmed.

Building owners Jack and Barbara Jo Douglass were issued a permit for reconstruction in January of 1949 and they reopened for business that April.

The building was damaged again in January of 1950 when The Den was destroyed by a fire ruled to be caused by arson.

Repairs were made and the establishments continued operations until it became known to police that people were using firearms to play pinball at the Cherokee Club in November of 1951. That incident, combined with a series of assaults and other bouts of general unruliness, precipitated a name change to the Montana Club under the management of Joseph La Rango.

The Montana Club was shut down by the IRS due to unpaid taxes and the contents were sold in November of 1955. Palmist Madame Rosetta began solving customers’ problems in the Oberon Building around that time.

Palace Jewelry and Loan moved to 20 1/2 E Commercial Row around the middle of 1958. Those two tenants rode it out until the very end.

1977 brought plans for Harolds Club to expand along Commercial Row with a four-story red brick building housing gaming, restaurants and bars, and office space. Demolition of the old buildings, including the Oberon, began that September.

A museum on the second floor housed an extensive gun and music machine collection. The third floor was mostly dedicated to the restaurant and bar area. Some materials from the old buildings were salvaged for the new structure including the pressed tin ceiling in the Nickelodeon Bar. The general motif was described as “1905 Teddy Roosevelt.” Business offices and the employee credit union were located on the fourth floor.

The grand opening was celebrated from February 15 through March 11, 1979.

Fitzgeralds Group had an agreement in place to sell Harolds in December of 1994 but the sale took months to finalize. Buyers Emerald/American Gaming announced a massive remodeling project in March of 1995, which would connect the two Harolds structures at the west end of Douglas Alley to create a more unified appearance. The building was designed to resemble Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station, apparently since it was across from the railroad tracks.

Harolds club closed for remodeling on March 31, 1995 with plans to reopen by February of 1996. At that point, the only business operating on the property was Dick Clark’s American Bandstand nightclub on the second floor.

Plans kept changing, however, and suddenly Reno was asked to approve a huge skyway which would take up nearly an entire block, creating a tunnel over Commercial Row. Meanwhile, the financing was in shambles. Not only was there a bankruptcy but it turned out the lots where the 1970s expansion was constructed were never sold to Harolds!

Property owners weren’t paying all of the utilities with the case still stuck in bankruptcy court and that’s kind of a problem during severe weather. The Bandstand was temporarily closed by the City in January of 1998 due to malfunctioning sprinkler and heating equipment. The City had received an anonymous tip that the sprinkler system was frozen. The club had also been operating without air conditioning in the summers.

The owners were also required to provide 24-hour security because the building had been accessed by people trying to escape the cold. City officials were concerned about unhoused individuals starting fires to cook and stay warm in a huge building without any kind of fire protection in place.

Harrah’s was rumored to be interested in buying the property throughout all of this but refused to comment. However, they did hire engineers to evaluate the site in 1998. City officials confirmed the deal was in progress at the beginning of October but Harrah’s people still acted like nothing was happening.

American Bandstand finally left the building after a broken water line flooded the building on Christmas Day in 1998. They had intended to stay open for a big New Years Eve party but that had to be cancelled.

Harrah’s formally acknowledged the purchase of Harolds Club in June of 1999. They had been able to negotiate purchases of the old Commercial Row lots, including the former Oberon property, which was still owned by Jack and Barbara Jo Douglass.

The following month, Harrah’s announced the Harolds site would be demolished with asbestos removal set to begin in August. The famous Harolds mural was removed in September and donated to the City as demolition began.

The old seven-story portion of Harold’s was imploded in the early morning of December 15, 1999 for a “temporary plaza.” A gas line was ruptured, causing Harrah’s to be evacuated. Rather than falling in on itself as intended, the building broke apart and actually fell on its side. At least some of the beams had been welded rather than bolted together, making the structure much stronger than anticipated.

In February of 2000, a model was unveiled for a plaza leading to the new Harrah’s entrance at the northwest end of the complex. This provided space for live entertainment as well as food and beverage areas.

A grand opening event was held at The Plaza at Harrah’s Memorial Day Weekend in 2000. Entertainment included a free concert featuring Little Richard and a performance by The Flying Wallendas.

In January of 2020, it was announced that Harrah’s Reno was being sold to Reno City Center, LLC. The facility was ordered closed by the governor that March due to COVID and the deed was officially recorded in September of 2020. In February of 2023, Reno City Center was supposed to start construction at what they were calling the Reno City Center Courtyard. Reno City Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 16, 2024 with the case being dismissed on February 26, 2025. Many signs have been printed. Websites have been created and gone dark.

This is how the former site of the Oberon Saloon looks today:

After playing the developer hokey pokey in 2025, there’s supposedly a new mystery buyer for the decaying Harrah’s property…which allegedly is also not really for sale. Interior work is said to be ongoing. We shall see.

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April 6, 2026 0

Dodge City Waterworks Then and Now

703 W Trail Street – Dodge City, Kansas

We take for granted that water in towns and cities comes from municipal plants but that wasn’t always the case. Dodge City gained a private waterworks operation in 1886 but the City didn’t get into the water business until after the turn of the twentieth century.

Dodge City Electric Light Company, which later became Midland Water, Light & Ice Company, operated both the electric and water utilities from their facility at the west end of what was then Locust Street as well as a couple different buildings downtown.

After years of debate, the City bought the waterworks part of the operation from Midland in December of 1909. This $29,000 purchase included three lots directly east of the Midland plant on newly renamed Santa Fe Trail Street, the existing standpipe, and water mains. The transaction did not include the pumping operation, however, so the City made plans to construct a pumping station and drill additional wells.

In February of 1910, the City made an agreement to sell bonds totaling $65,000 to a bank in Toledo for the bulk of the funding. Engineer J. S. Worley from Kansas City was hired to design the expanded waterworks system which included a one-story dark red brick Italian Renaissance pumphouse measuring approximately 40 x 12 feet with a clay tile roof and beautiful windows. Plans were accepted the same month and bids were due by March 22.

Unfortunately, the Ohio bankers thought they were financing the purchase of a fully functional waterworks operation rather than the construction of a new one and the deal was cancelled before the end of March. This meant the bonds would go up for public purchase, which meant a bond election was required. On April 19, 1910, voters were asked to decide on a $29,000 issue for the Midland purchase plus another $51,000 to construct the new pumping station and extend the waterworks system with the appropriate materials and machinery. Voters approved and the project continued.

The Roby Bros. company was hired to drill the first test well and the first samples sent to Dr. Samuel Crumbine in May of 1910 indicated the water was soft and pure.

The building and mains installation contract was awarded to Freeborn Engineering and Construction Co. of Kansas City. Local contractor William Foley oversaw the bulk of the building construction. Steam boilers and engines were ordered from Platt Iron Works of Dayton, Ohio.

Excavation for the pumphouse began in July of 1910. By August 26, the boilers were being installed. Dodge City’s approximately 600 customers were without water on November 12 while the new connections were attached to the pumphouse. The first system test was completed the following week and the new facility began pumping water for the entire city in December. The plant was finished in January of 1911.

The building is shown here prior to Santa Fe Trail Street being paved.

I remember being obsessed with the building’s windows as a child. My aunt worked there in the late 1970s or early ’80s and I would call and bother her at work because I thought it was so cool that she got to work in such a beautiful place.

Many more wells were drilled all over town as Dodge grew and although the building was still used, it was less important to the operation of the public works system. Those enormous windows were eventually replaced with tiny utilitarian inserts and the openings were filled in with wood paneling.

Katrina Ringler with the Kansas Historical Society photographed the building in June of 2015 for the Kansas Historic Resources Inventory.

Photos: Kansas Historic Resources Inventory, https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=057-1405. Used with permission.

The building was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of April 15, 2021. Globe veteran Ed O’Neal was on the scene and posted a brief video on his personal social media accounts but I was unable to find any mention in the newspaper.

Overnight fire in Dodge City believe in City water shop on Trail St.@KWCH12 @ pic.twitter.com/ZoQZfrlMr8
— Ed ONeal (@EONeal51) April 15, 2021

Dodge City Fire Department posted a dramatic image of the completely engulfed shop area and noted there were no injuries.

The City issued a brief press release advising the Kansas State Fire Marshal was investigating the cause but I was unable to find any later updates. It took quite a while for the structure’s remains to be demolished due to the investigation and the lengthy insurance claims process. The Google Street View image below is from September of 2021.

The City Commission voted to sell the property to Winans Oil, Inc. in September of 2022.

This is how the former site of the Dodge City Waterworks looks today:

I suppose in the context of the horrific wildfires which plagued Southwest Kansas in the Spring of 2021, the loss of this historic utility building was relatively insignificant. However, a little follow-up would have been nice.

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March 30, 2026 0

Sundowner Hotel Casino Then and Now

450 N Arlington Avenue – Reno, Nevada

After the former Reno High School was demolished in 1968, the property along the east side of Arlington Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets was purchased for construction of a hotel to be owned by Lake Tahoe Inn H.K.M. Architect William Morris designed a complex which included an 11-story hotel with 349 rooms connected by a passageway to a four-story building at the south end. The restaurant, bar, and registration desk would be located in that building. This new structure would be the largest hotel in Reno at the time, beating Harrah’s by about 25 rooms.

The complex would include 300 parking spaces and construction was estimated to cost $6 million in the early stages. Financing was provided by Prudential Insurance Company of America. Initially, the developers said they wouldn’t pursue a gaming license and that turned out to be an elaborate ruse because Prudential didn’t lend to casinos.

The City received the permit application around September of 1973 with the applicants hoping to have the hotel completed in the summer of 1974. So many nopes. By that October, owners Max Hoseit, George Karadanis, and Robert Maloff had announced it would be branded as a Quality Inn but they hadn’t chosen a name. They had, however, suddenly decided to add a casino. Wink, wink.

The Sundowner Hotel opened on May 23, 1975 with plans for the restaurant and bar plus the newly considered casino to open around July 1.

The gaming license application was initially denied due to allegations Max Hoseit was involved in fraud and usury. He was also accused of polluting Lake Tahoe at one of his other job sites. Incidentally, Hoseit’s former business partner, Jack Van Sickle of Carson City, was indicted in 1969 for conspiracy to murder his ex-wife, a judge, and four attorneys…one of whom was Max Hoseit. All charges were later dropped.

A final decision was scheduled for June 26 but by that time, Hoseit had withdrawn from the corporation (Sundowner Hotel, Inc.) He was still part of Lake Tahoe Inn, which owned the property and leased it to the Sundowner. The trio successfully convinced the gaming board Hoseit wouldn’t be involved in casino operations and the application was approved in July of 1975.

Episodes of mischief plagued the Sundowner during its first summer. Someone turned on a seventh-floor firehose and left it running, causing damage to walls, ceilings, and elevators. That August, the hotel was a victim of what we now call swatting. The 911 caller said an officer had been shot in a room which ended up being vacant. The officer was at home at the time of the incident.

Reno’s biggest hotel also boasted the biggest TV screen at 4×6 feet in the Rawhide Room Lounge on the second-floor mezzanine.

Expansion of the Sundowner was announced in July of 1976. A larger 19-story tower with additional gaming space and about 250 additional hotel rooms would be constructed directly east of the south building, which would require demolition of the Star Dust Motel. It would also require water saving measures and negotiations for additional sewer allocations. That was the tricky bit.

Meanwhile, hotel guests experienced a string of robberies in their rooms. In October of 1976, two couples were bound and gagged and robbed of about $18,000 in cash and jewelry to two men with guns. They were fortunately unharmed.

The Sundowner rebranded as a Best Western in February of 1977 and demolition of the neighboring Star Dust was completed that summer. Construction began on the new tower before the sewer issue was settled. The casino addition was allowed to use the former Star Dust allotment but they did not have permission to build out all of the hotel rooms. Believe me when I tell you they built that new tower less than two inches from the back wall of the Bonanza Inn.

While all of this was happening, Prudential found out they had accidentally leant to casino operators. They threw a fit that November but there wasn’t anything they could do other than try to sell the property. Their own work was sloppy and they failed to include a clause in the mortgage stating no casino could be operated on the premises. It was an awkward time.

Back to the sewer. In December of 1977, the City told the owners they could only have 10,000 gallons per day rather than the 17,000 gallons they requested. This meant they could still build everything but could only put the number of rooms in service that would keep them from exceeding their permitted usage.

Construction worker Larry Newcomb was crushed by a lift on the jobsite and paralyzed in 1978. He later sued and was awarded $4.45 million due to the placement of the lift.

Canadian tourists were shot at in the Sundowner parking garage during a failed robbery attempt in January of 1979. The husband fought back and got pistol whipped but they weren’t seriously injured and they kept their money.

The following month, a federal grand jury subpoenaed the City’s records as part of an FBI investigation into its sewer allocation list. The new water treatment facility was still years away and property developers were all competing to get their projects approved. Lots of fingers were pointed with regard to campaign contributions and what the insurance industry calls moral hazards.

City workers also discovered more plumbing than was approved had popped up in the Sundowner expansion so they issued a stop work order until the unauthorized plumbing was removed. Architect Morris had submitted plans to switch 59,000 square feet of office space over nine floors to 162 additional hotel rooms, which required more sewer capacity. It was a whole thing and the application was rejected that April. The request was then resubmitted in June of 1979 and withdrawn in July, resubmitted again in September, and finally approved that December.

Meanwhile, progress continued with the Sundowner’s new coffee shop opening in December of 1979.

The Roundup Buffet opened on the third floor in March of 1980 followed by GK’s Steak House.

The Sundowner advertised 600 rooms by June of 1980 and a piano bar opened in the Rawhide Lounge that July. That lounge didn’t last terribly long, however, and the space became occupied by the Reno Press and Commercial Club around May of 1981.

From the time the Sundowner opened, numerous police reports had been filed due to money and property being stolen from hotel rooms. In some cases, it was asserted that a passkey was used but that was never proven. In March of 1984, that pattern came to a head when three women were robbed at gunpoint and threatened with rape in their room. The women sued because they said the Sundowner knew they had a security problem with multiple reported incidents and refused to act. Trial testimony included statistics indicating the number of burglaries at the Sundowner was more than triple the closest local hotel. The hotel was found liable in 1986 and the plaintiffs were awarded $1.3 million.

The lesson didn’t seem to stick because on March 25, 1987, police stated a passkey was used to enter 32 rooms and more than $1,100 was taken. Also in 1987, a 79-year-old woman had her hip broken during a purse-snatching incident in a hallway as she returned to her room. She was later awarded $350,000 in damages. The Sundowner’s attorney told the jury they shouldn’t award high punitive damages because the facility had “made extensive efforts to ensure the safety of patrons.” Obviously.

In 1989, Karadanis demolished the Gaslite Motel in the block west of the Sundowner for future expansion. By that time, visitors had begun to expect resort amenities and all the Sundowner really had to offer was a pool. Karadanis envisioned a live entertainment venue to complement the hotel and casino offerings.

By 1990, however, business was really slumping. That Christmas Eve, an electrical fire in an unoccupied room in the north tower ignited a mattress. Firefighters’ efforts were complicated by frozen emergency equipment. Because the sprinklers and standpipes couldn’t be used, they had to break a window and drag hoses to extinguish the fire. The room hadn’t been occupied in three days and management actually said only about 40 of the north tower rooms had been in use. They apparently decided not to heat the upper floors to save money. That created additional problems when the water used to fight the fire froze the elevator, closing the entire north tower for several days.

Reno’s continuing casino building boom, including the giant Project C complex just to the east, didn’t help matters.

Events like Hot August Nights would sell out rooms but the Sundowner couldn’t maintain that momentum throughout the year.

The hits kept coming, literally. In November of 1996, a woman was robbed of $580 in a Sundowner elevator. She was hit in the face and thrown on the floor during the ordeal. A June 1997 editorial complimented the Sundowner on their new night lighting project, which made the area look cleaner and safer. However, this didn’t do much for interior security. The following month, an elderly couple was robbed by someone who had entered their room while it was empty and waited for them to return.

The Sundowner rolled into the new millennium with enthusiasm for their upcoming 25th anniversary year. Unfortunately, that would be their last major milestone.

That November, an elderly lady was dragged off her slot chair as she tried to hold onto her purse while it was being stolen. Her knee was injured in the fall and she suffered a dislocated shoulder. If you can’t even secure your gaming floor, what are you even doing?

In January of 2001, Karadanis acknowledged publicly that the Sundowner hadn’t made money since 1995. He and Maloff had been trying to sell the property but were having trouble finding buyers, despite putting about $2 million into property and gaming upgrades over the previous two years. There was added concern about possibly having to pay additional taxes to help fund a new event center. Both men were looking forward to retirement.

Screenshot from February 5, 2001 snapshot via Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20010205004300/http://www.sundowner-casino.com/frames.htm

That August, Bill freaking Gates played in a bridge tournament at the Sundowner and that was possibly the last fun moment in its history. Shortly afterward, the Garden Gazebo Buffet began having trouble maintaining appropriate food temperatures due to worn equipment. Advertising spending was cut drastically in 2002, dwindling to almost nothing in early 2003.

On October 3, 2003, the Gazette-Journal reported the Sundowner would be closing that December 1 due to ongoing losses. No severance was offered to the approximately 375 employees. They didn’t even allow a full month of insurance, with coverage being terminated effective October 17. This was a bit of a gut punch, especially for staff who had worked at the Sundowner for 20 years.

But then it got even worse! Most employees were told on Friday, November 7 that they shouldn’t come to work the following Monday. That shorted them another three weeks of pay right before Christmas. Several sued for lost wages due to the abrupt change.

Rumors about a potential buyer saving the day failed to materialize. A small group of employees worked to secure the building, clear out the vault, prepare financial statements, and help the Nevada Gaming Control Board with a final audit. Casino patrons were given until March of 2004 to redeem outstanding chips and tokens.

In January of 2004, it was reported that the Sundowner hotel rooms in the north and south towers could be converted into entry-level condominiums as part of a first-time homebuyer program. It was suggested that the casino areas could be repurposed as retail space. The potential buyer was not named at that time but by April developer Siavash Barmand of San Francisco was mentioned in conjunction with the deal.

The newly renamed Belvedere Towers received approval to change the zoning in July of 2004, the same month Barmand took possession of the property. Plans called for a 377-unit condominium and retail complex. Interior demo was underway in the north tower by March of 2005 and plans for the south tower were nearly completed. By August, Barmand was no longer involved with the project and Bijan Madjlessi had picked up the baton. The interior ended up needing a lot more demo than initially planned, causing the Belvedere to experience one delay after another.

Two additional floors were added to the north tower for penthouse units. By April of 2007, only 98 units had been sold, just in time for the Great Recession. The sales office kept saying the condos would be ready for occupancy in a few months but the first residents didn’t begin moving in until July 2, 2008. Advertised amenities included a heated rooftop saltwater pool and spa, movie theater, fitness center, recreation center, and business center and conference room. In addition to studio, one and two bedroom units, they also had two-bedroom penthouses listed for $850,000.

A July 29, 2008 fire, quickly determined to be arson, started on the roof of the four-story building and then went up the west and north walls of the south tower while its interior was under construction.

A little smoke infiltrated the north tower but no damage was sustained. Fewer than 15 people occupied those units and no injuries were reported. Damage to the south tower was estimated at $120,000.

At the same time, notices of foreclosure were popping up in the paper. Taxes hadn’t been paid, loans hadn’t been paid, and vendors hadn’t been paid. Trustee sale notices were posted and updated for a couple years. During that time, the City cited the management company several times for code violations. The Belvedere finally cleaned up the fire damage in November of 2010.

Multiple units were up for tax sale in April of 2011. Belvedere developer Bijan Madjlessi’s attorney, David Lonich, bought 92 of them for just under $2 million. At that time, only 80 condos were owned by individuals. Mountain Air Enterprises had purchased the unfinished south tower and a civil suit was filed over that sale.

Madjlessi was also charged with felony insurance fraud. He submitted multiple claims for the same losses netting almost $1.5 million. The arson case was still open at that time. He received the insurance money and then failed to make building repairs for two years. Madjlessi also defaulted on a huge development in Petaluma, California around that time. The insurance fraud trial was scheduled for October 28, 2014.

Madjlessi, Attorney Lonich, and two former bank executives were arrested in April of 2014 for fraud related to construction loans on the Belvedere. Before any of these charges could be resolved, Madjlessi was killed in a automobile crash in May of 2014. His body was found in his car 400 feet down an embankment after his family reported him missing. He had been wearing his seatbelt, had no drugs or alcohol in his system, and there was no evidence of suicide or foul play so his death was ruled accidental. The surviving three men were convicted in 2017.

While the condos in the north tower seem to have done fairly well, the south tower was never completed. It has changed hands a few times but no one has been able to solidify any plans. In 2022, the Reno Housing Authority looked at it as a potential spot for affordable housing. Unresponsive owners were blamed for the lack of progress but the building has been decaying for quite some time. I found a listing which stated the casino floors were demolished as well as two hotel floors. It probably needs to have elevators replaced as well as the roof and HVAC but hey, it comes with 255 keys!

This is how the site of the former Sundowner Hotel Casino looks today:

Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King

If you’re interested in seeing the condo interiors, there are loads of listings on Zillow and other real estate websites. They look quite nice, if maybe a bit on the small side. Some residents have complained about a lack of responsiveness from the management company and there has been some turnover on the condo association board.

The Sundowner sign is still painted on the east side of the south tower advertising the Best Rest in the West! I saw a rumor a few weeks ago that the south tower was being torn down to create more parking but with all of the lots nearby already sitting empty, that seems insane. No permits are popping up on the County website so I’ll believe it when I see it. The last listing I saw had an asking price of nearly $17 million. Bananas.

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March 23, 2026 0

Dodge Theatre Then and Now

106 Walnut Street – Dodge City, Kansas

I’ve avoided writing about this building for years. It’s where I saw the first movie I can remember (The Empire Strikes Back) and it’s where my grandmother took me to the library for the first time. I still remember sitting on the carpeted steps in the upstairs story pit. It’s where I attended kennel club meetings in a creepy, leaky basement as an adult. So, I have some feelings.

The north side of Walnut (now Gunsmoke) Street between Central and First Avenues was completely residential until the lots were cleared for construction of the Lora-Locke Hotel in 1927.

In January of 1928, Elmer C Rhoden of Midwest Theatres, Inc. announced the company intended to build a new theater in Dodge City.

George Howell and Otto Theis, partners in the Lora-Locke, knew the perfect spot and purchased the west half of the block adjacent to the hotel that July.

Architect Ellis Charles of Wichita, who also designed the Lora-Locke, created plans for a complex which included a theater with seating for approximately 1,200, a department store, and a smaller retail space. Prior to construction, the estimated cost for this dark brick Italian Renaissance structure with a clay tile roof and terra cotta accents was $140,000.

In January of 1929, the building contract was awarded to Eastergard & Bullard of McCook, Nebraska, the same company which built the Lora-Locke. Before construction began, the George S Howell Building Corp. had secured Montgomery Ward as a tenant and worked out an agreement for Midwest Theatres to operate the theater. The reason you don’t hear Otto Theis’ name associated with this part of the Million Dollar Block is because he transferred his half ownership to Howell that February.

A decision (which haunted later building owners) was made to connect the Howell building’s heating plant to the Lora-Locke. It saved money at the time but has been cursed many times over.

It was really important for Montgomery Ward to open before the start of the Christmas shopping season so contractors raced to finish the interior. Nearly 90 people were hired to staff the new store for the October 1929 opening.

The Dodge Theatre wasn’t quite finished when it opened on October 18, 1929. Silent films were still being shown in Dodge at that time but this theater boasted Western Electric sound equipment which cost around $15,000. Talkie features The Love Doctor and a Laurel and Hardy comedy called A Perfect Day were shown in addition to a newsreel with “natural sound” said to be the first in the city. Globe publisher Jess Denious delivered a dedication speech to a packed house.

The third building tenant was The Rendezvous restaurant located in the spot with the arched door just to the west of the theater entrance. I should probably note that the original address for the theater was 106 Walnut, as shown on the 1932 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Numbers changed over time as doors were added and removed. The entrance is now officially 108 Gunsmoke.

Fox West Coast Theatres had purchased Midwest Theatres just before the grand opening but it took a while for the branding to catch up. By December of 1929, the theater was officially called the Fox Dodge but advertising sometimes just mentioned the Dodge.

One reason the theater season runs from fall to spring is because there was traditionally no air conditioning and the buildings would close during the summer months. That really wouldn’t have made financial sense for such an expensive facility so the solution in 1930 was to install fans which were said to be “silent” to avoid drowning out the entertainment. I sincerely doubt they were all that quiet.

The Cohens and Kellys in Africa played at the Dodge in April of 1931.

A cooling plant was installed in 1933 which drew water out of a well and iced it. The chilled air was then circulated throughout the building by blower fans. Those were apparently too loud so a new system was installed in June of 1934 which relied on six tons of ice to be delivered from Kansas Power Company every day.

In the Spring of 1935, the theater began using that cooling system to filter the air so patrons could get a bit of relief from the dust storms while they watched the shows.

The Dodge Theatre was famously one of the three locations in town to participate in the 1939 premiere of Dodge City. Each theater showed the film on repeat all through the night.

Former Dodge City Mayor Art Nevins is shown here cutting a ribbon at the exterior ticket booth in 1942.

These interior photos show the flooring changes over the years.

Photos: Kansas Heritage Center

Fox Dodge patrons could sign up for weekly Good Will Ambassador program drawings. The honorary position paid $200 in May of 1942.

Around 1946, Gussie Walker moved Walker’s Tot and Teen Shop into the former Rendezvous restaurant space. Clark’s Jewelry began occupying that spot around September of 1952.

Bwana Devil was the first 3-D film shown at the Dodge in June of 1953. Installation of CinemaScope equipment began toward the end of the year. This was the first widescreen movie format which required a much larger curved screen with stereophonic speakers behind it. The entire stage area was remodeled to accommodate this change.

It is unclear whether the CinemaScope screen is shown in these photos but it sure does fit the description.

Photos: Kansas Heritage Center

The Robe was the first movie filmed in CinemaScope and it was shown at the Dodge in January of 1954.

By now, you may be wondering about the marquee. Me too! I wish I could say I found the exact date the dignified original was replaced with that mint green and red thing but readers, I have failed you. It was still hanging in a 1954 photo of the Southwestern Bell expansion. Ted Page pulled a remodeling permit in October of 1957 so it could have been replaced at that time.

Hoover Cott’s circa-1959 Christmas photo shows the new Fox Dodge marquee which only covered the area above the entrance.

Montgomery Ward vacated the building and consolidated operations at what is now Military Plaza in the Summer of 1965. Dodge City Public Library leased approximately 12,500 square feet of the former department store space in March of 1969.

Janousek’s TV and Appliance held a liquidation sale at their store on Wyatt Earp in October of that year because the building was being demolished as part of the Urban Renewal Project. They secured a spot in the newly renovated space west of the theater.

Finance company The Associates was another business which relocated to the building after being displaced by demolition.

After months of remodeling, the Carnegie Library closed on December 24, 1969 so all of the books and furniture could be moved to the new location. The entrance was on First Avenue toward the north end of the building and a ramp led to the checkout counter. The adult section was on the main floor with the children’s department upstairs. Our new library opened on January 22, 1970.

This is where I received my first library card on my sixth birthday but that is not me tripping on the rug in the second photo.

Photos: Kansas Heritage Center

Cooper Theaters bought the Dodge in February of 1974 and began modernizing the facility. The ticket counter was moved inside as part of a complete lobby renovation. The balcony also closed in the mid-1970s.

Clark’s Jewelry held a big sale in December of 1973 and closed the store around March of 1974. Jack and Shirley Clark temporarily moved to Derby and their old space was occupied by the jewelry store of Worley and Irene Shultz, which opened in the Summer of 1974.

The Dodge Theatre exterior is shown in 1979 during the 40th anniversary showing of Dodge City.

After the library moved to its current location in 1982, the former Montgomery Ward space was remodeled again into office spaces. Radio station Q97 FM was located inside the First Avenue entrance for several years.

Mike Burkhart bought the entire building in 1984 and renamed it Plaza Professional Center. Cooper continued leasing the theater and Burkhart spent loads of money on needed repairs. The former jewelry store became a Navy recruiting station in the Summer of 1987.

Cooper closed the Dodge in November of 1989 after the heating system was finally decoupled from the Lora-Locke. This created another financial responsibility in a facility which wasn’t bringing in much revenue. Cooper intended to close for the winter as he and Burkhart worked out the particulars but it reopened shortly afterward.

The Dodge was closed by Cooper for the last time in the Fall of 1997. Mike and Mindy Burkhart began an extremely expensive restoration project at that time and were able to reopen on June 20, 1998 with a showing of Dodge City, of course. The Burkharts also had a coffee shop and Victorian mercantile in the building.

The building was listed for sale in early 2000 but the theater was still used for club meetings and other events.

In December of 2000, the Dodge held its third annual free Christmas movie for children. Although the theater wasn’t operating, class reunion events were held along with public tours of the building for several years. Efforts to preserve the Dodge have been ongoing ever since. The Downtown Dodge Association was formed around 2006 with one major goal being the restoration of the theater. The City considered purchasing the building in 2007 and probably every year since.

The Burkharts sold the entire building in 2010 after an auction failed to get past the first bid. Buyers Tony Woydziak, Ernie Breeding and Steve Vilaysing reportedly paid $30,000 sort of on a lark. Finding a real buyer was essential.

Meanwhile, the minty marquee was in danger of decapitating someone on the sidewalk below and was removed in January of 2013. Seeing it listed on eBay prompted Mark Vierthaler, Lewis Mize, and Monica Springer to form the Dodge Theater Foundation that spring. The foundation was able to secure donated materials and labor to address some of the water damage. Real progress was made for a few years.

Roger Maas generously shared these photos which he took during a public tour in 2017.

If you’re a member of the Facebook group Growing up in Dodge City, you can do a quick search to see loads of photos people have taken on the various tours. I took the interior photos below a few years ago.

I believe the property was sold around January of 2017 and that’s about when access to the building ended. To his credit, the current owner has done a lot of work and uncovered the entryway’s domed ceiling. The roof looks pretty good from the outside.

Any time you walk by, you will see ladders and building materials awaiting installation but the building is mostly empty. A small chapel is located in the former jewelry store. A nail salon tried to make a go of it in the old library entrance area a couple years ago. Mini Market Los Paisanos has been in the corner space for several years now and seems to do well.

This is how the exterior of the Dodge Theatre looks today:

Basic maintenance on this structure is extremely expensive. The only two paths I see toward complete restoration involve massive grants and/or developer cash. You can’t fault one person for not being able to get it done but you also have to wonder if a little cooperation might go a long way. It would be really great if the Million Dollar Block looked like it. This gaping wound in the heart of downtown just isn’t cutting it.

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March 16, 2026 0

Reno High School Then and Now

447 West St. – Reno, Nevada

In 1878, Reno’s school system consisted of Bishop Whitaker’s School for Girls on Eighth Street, Mount St. Mary’s Academy on Center Street, and a public school at First and Sierra Streets. The school district recognized the need for expansion and passed a resolution in March of that year to explore options for new schoolhouses both north and south of the river.

The building at First and Sierra was in poor condition and the site for its replacement consisted of just over half a block between what was then Chestnut (now Arlington) and West Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets.

The purchase was finalized in March of 1879.

Reno Savings Bank agreed to purchase approximately $20,000 of school bonds to fund construction. The district approved plans submitted by architect A. A. Cook of Sacramento on August 2, 1879.

Bids were solicited the following week and the contract was awarded to I. T. Benham, who was expected to finish construction by January 1, 1880. That was most definitely not going to happen. Benham was tasked with building a two-story brick schoolhouse with a basement containing eight classrooms with a tower and mansard roof.

Daily Nevada State Journal, October 5, 1879, 3. Newspapers.com.

The corner stone was laid on October 4, 1879 but construction was delayed by severe weather throughout the winter. Finally, the tower and mansard roof were painted reddish brown with gray accents. Redwood exterior trim was painted gray and the interior was finished with stained sugar pine. Furniture, including seating for 408 students, was ordered in August of 1880. The bell was moved from the old building on August 13. A public open house was held the weekend before the new term began on September 6, 1880.

This school initially housed all grades so classes for the smaller children were located on the main floor. High school classes were held upstairs with some math classes in the basement. The basement also had a sort of makeshift science laboratory. It appears a wood outhouse was constructed at the south end of the property adjacent to the alley.

As the district grew, this building became known as Central School. The facility itself also grew. By early 1894, the schoolhouse was completely overcrowded and the district acknowledged a need for more space. An additional $10,000 bond issue was approved by voters in December of that year. A four-room annex was added to the north end of the building in 1895.

It didn’t take long for this expanded building to once again run out of room. By January of 1904, the small bookkeeping room was used as a classroom and the principal’s office was used as a recitation room. Central School had also fallen into disrepair. In May of 1906, pupil Mildred Holcolm’s shoulder was struck and bruised by falling plaster.

That December, the City of Reno’s health officer delivered a scathing report on the state of the Central building in particular, noting the presence of leaky sewer pipes among other hazards.

A special election was held in October of 1908 and voters approved a $100,000 bond issue to make improvements across the district. However, no immediate action was taken. In August of 1909, Judge William D Jones called the Central School building “…an eyesore, a menace and a disgrace to the citizens of Reno.” School board President Dr. M. R. Walker said the building was a “death trap” due to the poor condition of the building as well as the severe overcrowding.

The district finally advertised for plans in December of 1910. The following January, the school board had SIXTEEN architects submit plans for review. George A Ferris was the successful candidate.

As students were finishing up their last year in the Central School building, a fire broke out in a basement laboratory in May of 1911. No injuries were reported.

Despite all of this, the school continued to operate with the last class finishing up closing exercises in June of 1911. Contractor W. G. McGinty began demolition that summer. During construction, displaced students were temporarily relocated to other properties throughout Reno. The cornerstone was laid on November 25, 1911. Building was temporarily halted in January of 1912 due to a strike by bricklayers. Labor stoppages continued throughout the spring.

In July of 1912, the Gray, Reid, Wright Co. was awarded the contract for equipping the science labs and manual training areas. The school was meant to be completed in time for the fall term in September but students reported to Whitaker Hall on Seminary Hill as finishing work continued.

The new high school reportedly cost $140,000 to $150,000, depending on the source, and was constructed in the Spanish Renaissance style. The structure was in the shape of an E with a planned capacity of around 500 students. Exterior brick was finished with white cement and colored tiles.

Interior woodwork was slash-grained Oregon fir with maple floors. The school had a 900-seat gymnatorium with a large stage and three sets of scenes. The basement held labs as well as domestic and industrial arts. Located on the first floor were offices for the high school as well as the school board and 14 classrooms plus a library and large study hall. The tower rooms were for science and geography classes.

Approximately 240 students reported to the new school on December 2, 1912 with an open house on Friday, December 13.

High School, Reno, Nev., postcard. Postmarked September 4, 1914. Author’s collection.

This postcard shows the gold lettering over the main entrance as well as the tiles with gold and light blue accents around the windows.

The building was later enlarged with an addition at the back of the building for a bigger stage and more elaborate scenery. Exterior stairs made of reinforced concrete were also added to comply with evolving fire and safety codes.

Reno continued to grow and this school also became severely overcrowded. The district began exploring locations for a new high school in the 1940s. It took about six years to complete the process but the Class of 1951 was the last to graduate from the Reno High School on West Street.

The school district dropped their traditional junior and senior high configuration for the 1951-52 school year so the old high school, in a return to its roots, was renamed Central Intermediate School. This meant elementary schools served kindergarten through fourth grade with fifth through eighth grades at the intermediate school.

Additional classrooms were added to the back of the south wing and the building eventually had a capacity of 800 students. By 1959, 830 students were enrolled and growth in the district continued. The white cement finish was painted cascade aquamarine blue in August of 1961. Brighter interior colors were also added along with fluorescent lighting. The 1960s also brought a change back to the junior and senior high school arrangement so the school was called Central Junior High School.

The building reached the end of its use with the completion of Swope Junior High School on Keele Drive in early 1966. It was left vacant that March and demolition was approved in June of 1966 but work was delayed because the district wanted the buyer to handle the demo. The large property was divided into six parcels that December and they were listed for sale by January of 1967.

As the building sat in limbo, it burned for five hours on Thanksgiving Day in 1967. All utilities had been disconnected so investigators believed it was caused by kids. Three firefighters were injured.

Demolition finally began once the structure was deemed safe enough and work was completed in the Spring of 1968.

This is how the site of the former Reno High School looks today:

Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King
Photo by Anna King

It’s a shame this building had to go but there was only so much that could be done with a structure of this size and age in the 1960s. We’re extremely fortunate that techniques for repurposing these properties have become so popular, not to mention the grants and tax credits which enable them. In later posts, I will delve into the establishments which were constructed on the former Reno High School property as well as the drama which ensued.

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March 9, 2026 2

Holiday Motel Then and Now

2100 W Wyatt Earp Blvd. – Dodge City, Kansas

Westlawn Addition, along the north side of US Highway 50S west of 14th Avenue, was platted in 1930 with all sorts of covenants and restrictions, many of which have been illegal for decades. The block between Westlawn and Gardner Avenues was pretty quiet until the 1940s.

The Hi-Way Cafe opened at what was then 2100 W Chestnut Street in October of 1947.

It is unclear whether she started the business, but Mary H Bledsoe operated the cafe at least as early as October of 1948. Florence Landrum was the manager in the early 1950s. New managers Wilbur and Dorothy Cunningham remodeled the cafe in the Spring of 1954.

After rebranding, Mary Bledsoe reopened the restaurant as The Car-Teria in June of 1956 serving chicken and shrimp boxes, sandwiches, malts, and shakes.

The Nicely family sold the Flamingo Motel in October of 1957 and immediately announced plans to build a new motel with 22 rooms on the site of The Car-Teria. The facility initially did not take up the entire block due to a drainage ditch at the west end.

Holiday Motel opened in February of 1958 without a pool or restaurant.

A small heated pool was added adjacent to the office shortly after the grand opening. In the early 1960s, the motel was expanded westward so that it outlined the entire block. Around that time, the Holiday Restaurant was constructed just west of the pool.

The building itself was unremarkable but the sign out front was a colorful mid-century classic.

Hong Kong Restaurant moved from the Lora-Locke Hotel into the former Holiday Restaurant space in the Summer of 1988.

In the early 2000s, the pool was removed so the restaurant could be expanded in its place. Hong Kong Restaurant closed when the owners of Osaki Sushi and Hibachi approached Kim Lee about renting the space for a sushi restaurant. Osaki opened in the Spring of 2015.

The motel doesn’t seem to have an online presence but the office was open when I stopped by. This is how the Holiday Motel looks today:

I really do understand why the big eye-catching signs have been replaced with plain plastic. I also hate them. These mid-century motels are old enough to qualify for the historic registers. Restoring the fun original signage from roadside America could be the next big trend!

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March 2, 2026 0