McKissick’s Opera House Then and Now

43 W Plaza Street – Reno, Nevada

In Reno’s early days, Third Street jogged around the freight warehouses on the north side of the railroad tracks into a wide plaza. This four-block plaza stretched from Sierra all the way to Lake Street. Smith J Hill owned quite a bit of property in this area and sold the lot at the northeast corner of Sierra and Plaza to Jacob “Uncle Jake” McKissick in February of 1887.

McKissick, who was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Reno, planned to build an opera house on this corner. Contractor John Crowley began foundation work that August.

Business manager Charles W Booton obtained plans from the Newsom Brothers architectural firm in San Francisco and construction began in the Fall of 1887.

The brick building had three floors with the opera house itself located on the top two. The main floor was divided into retail spaces. To address fire concerns, twelve exits were located on the second floor with all doors opening outward. Exiting patrons would then use exterior stairs leading from the balcony to the ground level. Exterior walls were four bricks thick. Stairs leading guests to the lobby were reportedly wide enough to accommodate twelve people standing shoulder to shoulder.

The curved stage at the north end of the opera house measured 27 x 50 feet with gas foot lights. The curtain depicted a scene of Rome and was framed with blue and gold drapery. Proscenium (stage) boxes were decorated with cherry wainscotting, cherry red and gold silk, and ecru Spanish lace curtains.

Seating followed the curve of the stage in an amphitheater arrangement. Each reclining seat had a hat rack, footrest, and umbrella/cane rack. The total seating capacity including the dress circle and balcony was around 700. At the time of construction, there were only three dressing rooms. Lighting in the main theater was provided by 64 ventilated gas sun burners.

Exterior brick was painted red in February of 1888 and finishing work was rushed throughout the Spring and into June in preparation for the opening production of “Ramona” under the management of John Piper. The Irving Dramatic Club premiered this Charles A Norcross play June 13 and 14, 1888 to a packed house with very little room even for standing.

John Richardson’s Opera House Saloon, located in the west space on the main floor, also opened on June 13. Its ceilings were said to have exceeded 16 feet and it had four club rooms in the rear with billiards tables and fresh flowers daily. Ten furnished rooms were located above the saloon and connected to the opera house by a hallway.

C. W. Booton’s Opera House Dry Goods store officially opened on June 25, 1888.

McKissick’s quickly became a popular venue for school commencement exercises, lectures, and other community events. After John Piper’s death in January of 1897, his son Ed took over the lease and management of the theater.

Jake McKissick died in September of 1900 at the age of 90. His will was probated by nephew Howard McKissick, his primary beneficiary, that October. This was hotly contested by nephew John McKissick and nieces Luvisa (McKissick) Sellick and Martha (McKissick) Tipton, who claimed the will signing wasn’t witnessed and that Howard had improperly influenced a frail old man. The estate was ordered distributed in March of 1901, mostly to Howard per the terms of the will, but the fight continued.

From the time Howard McKissick inherited Uncle Jake’s opera house, he intended to remodel it into a hotel. The stage was never large enough and fire codes were constantly changing. In some jurisdictions, it became illegal to construct new buildings with opera houses above the ground level. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see his plans come to fruition. Howard McKissick died by suicide in February of 1903 at the age of 40.

Howard’s widow, Lulu (Black) McKissick, then carried the baton in the fight against the nieces and nephew. Ed Piper lobbied hard to keep the opera house operational but the City condemned the building in December of 1905.

City officials allowed the facility to continue operating while Lulu McKissick planned to make the necessary safety repairs.

This bought Piper some time but W. H. Lyon was engaged to design the new hotel in the Spring of 1907.

I believe the last act to perform at McKissick’s Opera House was Lew Dockstader and his minstrels on May 23, 1907.

The theater seats were removed the following week and sold to the University of Nevada.

Lyon’s plans added three floors to the structure, making it a full five-story brick building plus a wooden structure on top with a roof garden. The hotel had approximately 100 rooms, each with hot and cold water. Fire escapes were located on every floor. The new establishment was called Hotel Reno and managed by George W Quigley.

The bar opened on June 20, 1908 followed by a grand opening in the roof garden on June 27. It’s interesting that the ad says to take the elevator because it only went to the fifth floor. To access the roof, patrons were forced to climb steep and narrow stairs.

Hotel Reno itself didn’t open until June 29 because the fixtures arrived late.

For whatever reason, Quigley didn’t do well and didn’t last long. The word “vicissitudes” was used and Lulu McKissick was forced to pay past due bills for fixtures he had ordered.

The name was of the establishment was changed to Hotel McKissick in February of 1909.

It was alternatively advertised as McKissick Hotel, depending on who was in charge at the time.

Employee August Schaffer was killed in a fire which started in the basement of the hotel on February 4, 1910. The cause was ruled to be asphyxiation. Schaffer was a childhood friend of hotel manager, Lisle Jamison. The fire started in the basement kitchen area and was apparently caused by wires being crossed when Schaffer and Jamison installed new ranges. Two smoke helmets were purchased for the fire department as a result of this tragedy. Chief Webster was convinced Schaffer’s life could have been saved if his firefighters had better equipment.

Still, bills had to be paid and people had to eat. Staff hurried to repair the damage and meal service was uninterrupted.

That May, six Tonopah high school students experienced the ride of their lives when the hotel elevator lever broke and crashed into the top floor ceiling. It then dropped about five feet before the safety mechanism engaged and stopped its descent.

E. Reay Mackay, an editor at Nevada Weekly, was shot in the hand at the hotel in March of 1911. He published something unflattering about a Mrs. Mitchell and Dan Edwards defended her honor, or something.

Nevada State Journal, March 14, 1911, 1. Newspapers.com

Mackay later became manager of the McKissick and eventually married Howard and Lulu’s daughter, Ruth.

*R. L. Polk & Co.’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory 1913-1914*.

Lulu McKissick died in March of 1919 at only 46 years of age. In February of 1920, brothers Abraham and Isaac Jacobs bought the hotel from the estate.

In March of 1921, new owner and manager George J Chew announced the establishment’s name was changing to Plaza Hotel. In addition to the name change, the hotel’s exterior was painted white and it was completely remodeled inside.

Brothers Olivo and Cherubino Nannini, along with their wives Cortese and Lidia, began operating the Plaza Hotel in January of 1923.

Olivo died in November of 1936 and the family banded together to keep the hotel running. As the 1940s progressed, the Plaza began showing its age and the upper floors became vacant. The building received a $40,000 facelift at the end of 1949 and Cherubino Nannini did much of the work himself. In this photo taken in January of 1950, you can see the roofline had been completely altered.

Lidia Nannini died in December of 1967, followed by Cherubino in August of 1967. The Naninni children, who had grown up at the Plaza, stepped up to operate the hotel and bar until the mid-1970s. In November of 1974, the family agreed with the City to close the Plaza in January of 1975. The building wasn’t up to code and there was doubt it could be brought into compliance. Around 40 residents would be displaced.

The property was put up for sale with the expectation that it would be demolished. Ernest Primm, former owner of the Primadonna, was the buyer.

A public sale was held to dispose of any remaining contents June 14 and 15, 1975.

Demolition began on July 18, 1975.

Meanwhile, Primm provided vague nonanswers when asked about his plans for the property.

In October of 1977, Primm finally announced plans to build a new hotel on the old McKissick site. The Virginian was expected to be completed in about two years, even though Primm hadn’t worked out the sewer issue with the City. Plans changed, however, and the Virginian was built on Virginia Street.

Primm died in August of 1981 and his estate solicited bids for his property on Plaza Street in March of 1982. He owned most, if not all of the lots on the north side of Plaza between Sierra and Virginia at the time of his death. Eldorado Hotel Casino used that block as a parking lot for several years. In 1989, the Eldorado opened an expansion which covered the whole block outlined by Fourth, Sierra, Plaza, and Virginia.

In March of 1993, Eldorado requested Plaza Street be abandoned between Sierra and Virginia Streets. This would straighten out the alignment of Third Street and allow the Eldorado to expand southward into the parking lot. The request was approved that April.

Initially, the agreement stipulated construction would be on hold until Third Street was finished but a modification was requested in the Spring of 1994.

Construction of the addition which filled up that entire block was completed around 1996. There is now service access along the north side of Third Street.

This is how the former site of McKissick’s Opera House looks today:

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

There was a time when Reno could rely on casinos to deliver much needed revenue. Approving endless expansion made sense. The pendulum is swinging, however, and now downtown needs smaller spaces to drive businesses into vacant buildings. I’m not saying it’s good or bad…but it is interesting to see Reno slowly remembering the old ways.

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May 18, 2026 0

Guymon Petro Mercantile Co. Then and Now

314 Front Street – Dodge City, Kansas

Before you all start thinking I’ve lost my mind, this story is not about the building at Fourth and Trail. In March of 1884, the widow Anna Robbins bought a Front Street lot between Second and Third Avenues from Robert M Wright. There had once been a blacksmith shop on that site and Mrs. Robbins, mistress and business partner of the infamous Perry Wilden, had plans for a new grocery store.

The single-story wood frame structure faced Front Street and covered less than half the distance north to Chestnut. Wilden, sardonically nicknamed The Merchant Prince of South Dodge, opened the store that May.

Fraudster Wilden expanded rapidly and every single thing he purchased was on credit. His grocery store and around seven other buildings were destroyed by a fire on January 18, 1885.

Wilden was widely believed to have set the fire intentionally on a Sunday morning so it would burn undiscovered while most of the town was at church. Robbins carried insurance on the building and Wilden had a policy for the contents. Some of the neighboring business owners carried no insurance at all.

Within a week, newspapers reported Wilden planned to erect a two-story brick building on the same lot. However, Robbins was the one with the money and construction of her new building began in July of 1885. This new structure also faced Front Street and only covered about 60 percent of the lot space going toward Chestnut.

By August, creditors had seized the contents of Wilden’s South Dodge grocery. He left town with his wife and children later that month. Meanwhile, construction continued on the Robbins building and Ham Bell planned to use the main floor for his furniture and undertaking business along with the new Ford County Bank.

Bell did briefly occupy the Robbins building but he and Henry Sitler constructed the Sitler & Bell Block in 1886. The bank never really got off the ground.

Wilden fled to Syracuse to obtain a quick divorce from his wife, Mary, in June of 1886. He then married Anna Robbins in Colorado later that month, skipping the mandatory waiting period. The two were later arrested for bigamy.

T. C. Owen moved his barber shop from the Delmonico Hotel into the basement of the Wilden building in May of 1887. He closed the shop that August and it was reopened by Lawrence Leppert a couple weeks later.

The Wildens’ exciting personal lives left little time for property management and the Front Street property was sold to Fred T. M. Wenie in September of 1887, shortly after a cigar factory in the building failed to get traction.

Leppert’s barber shop moved to the main floor in the Summer of 1888 after a huge rainstorm flooded the basement.

The building was underutilized with Sims and Shinn (later Sims and Sims) using it as a warehouse for flour and feed. Fred Wenie moved to Kansas City around 1889 and stopped paying taxes. The building went up for sheriff’s sale in April of 1893 and creditor Charles Colladay took possession of the property at that time.

Patrick H Sughrue moved his real estate office to the second floor of what was being called the Sims building around 1902.

He and his wife, Margaret, owned the building for several years. It’s difficult to see but the sign at the far left reads “BUY TOWN LOTS & FARMS FROM P. H. SUGHRUE.” If you look closely, you can see the rear of the building didn’t extend to Chestnut.

James L Meairs moved his grocery store to the main floor of the Sughrue building around 1905.

Although he retained ownership of the building, Sughrue moved his office to the Hoover building in February of 1908. J. H. Evans moved his poultry, eggs, and hides business into a section of the Meairs grocery in 1911.

John Reynolds opened a general repair shop in the basement of the building in January of 1915.

In September of that year, the Sughrues sold the property to the Guymon Petro Mercantile Co. for around $6,300. An electric elevator was added along the east wall along with new office spaces. They just about rebuilt the entire structure.

Once that work was completed, L. J. Upp was awarded the contract to extend the building north to Chestnut Street. Over the years, space at 315 W Chestnut Street was rented to businesses like Drake Motor Supply Company, Noel-Ward Tire Service Company, and the Williams Cash Store.

The sign on the front of the light-colored building in the middle says “THE GUYMON PETRO MERC. CO. WHOLESALE GROCERS.”

By the mid-1940s, Guymon Petro occupied the former Dodge City Fruit Exchange building at 500 W Trail Street. Hall’s Home and Auto Supply then opened a second location in the former Guymon Petro building. The company owned by Jack and Lester Hall was more commonly known as Hall’s Firestone.

By 1950, Hall’s had consolidated operations in the location at 315 W Chestnut and 314 Front.

Photos by Hoover Cott, Ford County Historical Society Troy Robinson Collection

The store continued to operate in that spot until the building was demolished as part of the Urban Renewal project in 1970.

The 1990s demolition of the flour mill ruined this vantage point for everyone except drone operators.

This is how the site of the original Guymon Petro location looked in February of 2025:

Based on what’s been happening downtown over the past several years, it is clear that we’ve learned from the Urban Renewal disaster. I encourage everyone to patronize businesses in the surviving buildings so we can avoid losing more of our history.

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May 11, 2026 0

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