Construction to Start on Harrah Auto Museum

After more than six years, some legal haggling with a large corporation and millions of dollars in donations, ground was finally broken Thursday for the new William F. Harrah National Automobile Museum.

“Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy,” Ben Dasher, chairman of a foundation that raised money for the project, told some 300 people who attended the event.

“It would be the understatement of the year to say to you that I was totally relieved to be standing on this big piece of dirt today,” he said.

Tony Harrah, one of the late gaming pioneer’s sons, sat with his brother, John, watching the tribute to their father and his dream of creating a museum that would house “the history of the automobile” under one roof.

“It’s an honor to see this,” Tony Harrah said after the official ceremonies. “I’m just glad to see that people were able to keep the museum going because it was something my dad really cared for. It was his hobby. It was his dream.”

Agreed to Donations

Harrah, who died in 1978 after building, owning and running some of the most successful casinos in Nevada, once had more than 1,500 vintage vehicles in a museum located in Sparks, three miles from downtown Reno.

But his will did not provide for the museum to live on. After his death, Holiday Corp. bought Harrah’s hotel-casino empire, including Harrah’s automobile collection.

During 1986 and 1987, the corporation--then involved in a costly takeover battle with Donald J. Trump--began selling the cars at auction, bringing in $28.75 million during one of more successful sales involving 82 of the cars.

After Holiday Corp. was sued for dismantling the museum and public opinion turned against the company, Holiday executives agreed to donate hundreds of the vehicles and turn over ownership of the museum to the foundation earlier this year.

The Reno City Council spent $6 million in redevelopment funds to buy the 5-acre parcel for the new museum site at the northeast corner of Lake and Mill streets along side the Truckee River.

“I truly believe it will be a lasting heritage for our city,” Reno Mayor Pete Sferrazza told Thursday’s gathering.