303 W Second Street – Reno, Nevada
In July of 1889, the First Baptist Church on Second Street between Virginia and Sierra was destroyed by a fire which swept through the neighborhood. The congregation wasted no time purchasing property at the northwest corner of Second and what was then Chestnut Street.
Plans were completed in August for a wood frame structure measuring approximately 40 x 60 feet with a 100-foot spire. The new church was dedicated on May 25, 1890.
At that time, the rest of the block was residential, bordering on rural. The 1890 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the church between Second Street and what would become known as Church Lane. You can click on the photo to see the full sheet.
By 1904, members of the Vietti family occupied homes north of the church and operated a blacksmith shop at 205 or 207 Chestnut Street, depending on the year and how street numbers were adjusted. Partners in the blacksmith shop included Carlo Marmo and John Bottini. This undated photo was taken after Bottini exited the business around 1917.
You can click here to see a photo of this building from 1914 before Bottini’s name was covered on the sign.
The Baptist congregation received a $10,000 gift for construction of a new brick building in December of 1916. Architect Fred De Longchamps designed functional spaces to include a banquet hall, dedicated club rooms, and Sunday school rooms. Fundraising continued into the Spring of 1917 with the building contract awarded that August. Tapestry brick was supplied by Reno Pressed Brick Company. The corner stone was laid November 5, 1917.
This photo was taken on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1918, the date of the opening service.
collection_3259], Special Collections and University Archives Department, University of Nevada, Reno.
Vietti Blacksmith Shop was remodeled with what appeared to be a brick veneer in 1939. The name was changed to Nevada Blacksmith and Welding Company around 1940, at which time the wood frame section of the building was extended toward the west. Around 1941, John P Sapparrat became a partner in the business. The company also sold Minneapolis-Moline and Furguson agricultural equipment.
The First Baptist congregation again ran out of space and sold the property to Town House Motor Lodge, Inc., which announced plans to replace the church with an 80-unit motel in July of 1955. As this motel would require additional lots to the north of the church property, Vietti family members became shareholders of this company rather than simply selling their lots. Plans were provided by the architectural firm Russell Mills and Associates.
A decommissioning service (pictured below) was held on January 19, 1956.
The replat of this block required part of Church Lane to be vacated from Chestnut to Stevenson. A construction permit was issued in February of 1956 for $473,600. The heating installation permit was issued that April and a package liquor license for the attached mini mart was granted by the city in June. Town House Motor Lodge opened on July 24, 1956. The facility included a pool which could be converted into an ice rink. It had two bridal suites and a governor suite with Italian decor. Other rooms were decorated in a Chinese style.
Chestnut Street was renamed Arlington Avenue in April of 1957, presumably to make things less confusing. This particular street had a few different names, depending on the block.
Martin B Johnston bought the Town House in December of 1962 with plans to expand and remodel. Meanwhile, the motel was robbed over and over again. Some criminals used guns and knives but a woman held up the place with either a comb or hairbrush in her pocket. She broke down in tears and gave the money back but was still arrested.
Possibly the most brazen was a man who robbed the Town House thrice in January of 1963: Once on January 1, again on January 12, and yet again on January 19. The third time was not a charm for Milton R Ross, as the clerk had reached his limit and started blasting. Ross, who was not injured by the clerk’s bullets, was arrested on May 4, 1963 and admitted to his crimes.
In January of 1976, a collision at the intersection of Second and Arlington caused the car driven by F. B. Goslow (pictured below) to hit the corner of the building. Injuries to the motorists were relatively minor and no serious damage was reported.
Ownership changes and robberies continued regularly throughout the 1970s and ’80s, with a motel clerk being pistol whipped in January of 1982.
In the mid-1990s, Reno experienced a glut of rooms and not enough visitors. Part of this was blamed on a lack of conventions in the area. The Town House, more specifically, began to host the type of people who snatched purses from unsuspecting tourists.
On Christmas Day 2000, a man reported to police he fell off a balcony after being chased by someone with a knife. Upon further investigation, police learned a combination of drugs and mental health issues caused him to jump off the balcony.
A drug bust in April of 2002 netted $1,000 and seven grams of crack. The motel mini mart was caught selling alcohol to a minor in February of 2003. There was another drug bust in January of 2004 with a convicted felon arrested for being in possession of a firearm among other charges. In October of 2011, a 67-year-old woman was killed when she was run over by a car in the parking lot.
The Town House was on the delinquent tax list for several years. Secundo Vita Duo, LLC bought the property in 2015 with big plans to demolish and redevelop it and several other mid-century motels. That entity transferred the Town House to Secundo Vita, LLC. in 2016 and the project stalled.
Amazingly, the motel still hosted events including the NadaDada art exhibitions throughout its decline. I believe the last year may have been 2016. In May of 2017, management hired people to dispose of mattresses and other items infested with bed bugs. New furniture was purchased. All of this was done to accommodate new residents who were being displaced from other gentrification projects in the area.
This Google Street View image from March of 2020 shows the Town House Motor Lodge with the neon sign and swimming pool long gone. This was about the time Jacobs Entertainment became involved with the property.
Town House Motor Lodge became vacant around Thanksgiving of 2020 and was demolished in February of 2021. Piles of bricks were still lying around on the empty lot that November.
Ground was finally broken on the 245 North Arlington luxury apartments in May of 2022. This building was originally meant to consist of 130 condos but construction costs caused a pivot to 60 apartments. Lease applications were accepted beginning January 1, 2025 and the grand opening was held on March 6.
This is how the site of the former Town House Motor Lodge looks today:
Generally speaking, preservation of old buildings is better than having them end up in landfills. However, this one wasn’t aesthetically pleasing and probably needed to go. I haven’t been able to find any information about what happened to that beautiful neon sign, though. If anyone knows, please drop a comment.
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