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The month of May is National Historic Preservation Month and each year the Reno Historical Commission (HRC) requests nominations for preservation awards. Seven awards were bestowed by the Commission in 2009.
This year, the commissioners deservedly honored life-long Reno resident Nan Spina with the Distinguished Service Award. In 1977, she helped organize historic walking tours before HRPS existed. Ms. Spina was a commissioner for HRC from 1994 to 2006. During her tenure she assisted in designing the Reno Historic Structures Handbook and other publications. She helped in drafting the City Register nominations and accessing data to provide a historical inventory of more than 2,000 properties dating from 1869 to 1956.
The Advocate Award went to Kelly Rae and Pamela Haberman who specialize in urban infill green buildings. Their two outstanding properties are the SoDo Project on No. Center Street and HabeRae on Morrill Avenue.
This year's Residential Award went to Joannie and Mike Cassity for their residence, a DeLongchamps-designed Tudor Revival home circa 1927-28 located at 543 Ridge Street. Their work in restoring this historic residence is exemplary.
Two Non-Residential Awards were presented this year. The first went to the Lane Building, located at 401 West 2nd Street, built in 1906. Now owned by the University of Nevada, Reno, it is an excellent example of Mission/Spanish Revival design elements which has been well preserved in its original configuration.
The second award went to the beautiful St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral, 310 West 2nd Street. This 1907 building was in a state of structural decline when the Diocese of Reno made the decision to restore it in 2007. The construction was completed in an historically sensitive manner, which demonstrates an important aspect of historic preservation.
The Lake Mansion at 250 Court Street. Photo courtesy: www.lakemansion.com
The Lake Mansion, 250 Court Street, received the Historic Landmark Award. Originally owned by Washington J. Marsh who had it built in 1877, ownership passed to Reno's founding family, Myron C. and Jane Conkey Bryant Lake, in 1879.1 In 1971, the home, which originally stood at the corner of South Virginia Street and California Avenue, was saved after being scheduled for demolition and was moved to the Convention Center site south of town. In 2004, the current owner of the building, VSA Arts of Nevada, raised the necessary funds to move the home to the current location at the southeast corner of Court Street and Arlington Avenue.
The Historic Resource Award was presented to Linda R. Newman, University of Nevada, Reno. Ms. Newman is a map librarian in Special Collections who has worked tirelessly to convert paper documents to a digital format. After a three-year effort, she now has the Nevada plat maps of the entire state available online. Also online are full-color Sanborn maps for various Nevada localities, along with a full explanation of their significance. This is a wonderful resource for researchers — or anyone with an interest in historic local maps!
The awards were funded by a generous donation from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Our own HRPS funded the recognition luncheon, held at the Lake Mansion, on Wednesday, May 13. Fifty-two people attended the event. The Garden Shop located at 3640 Mayberry Drive, provided the floral arrangements for the luncheon tables. I would like to thank Alice Baldrica from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Dr. Michael Fischer, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, State of Nevada for attending the presentations and the luncheon.
—Felvia Belaustegui, HRPS President and HRC Commissioner
1 For a detailed history of the Lake Mansion, please see:
Cafferata, Patty. Lake Mansion: Home to Reno's Founding Families. Reno: Eastern Slope Publisher.
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