Demolition of Reno Hotel Can Proceed, Judge Says

An attempt by preservationists to block the demolition of Reno’s historic Mapes Hotel was rejected Tuesday by a county judge who ruled that the Reno City Council’s earlier decision to raze the downtown landmark was reached legally.

The decision clears the way for the scheduled demolition of the 12-story brick structure Jan. 30. Supporters of the 52-year-old downtown landmark said they will appeal Tuesday’s ruling to a higher court in a last-ditch effort to halt its demise.

The Reno City Council wants the building out of the way to make room for the continued redevelopment of the downtown district alongside the Truckee River. The city, however, has yet to adopt specific plans for the site.

The hotel, built in 1947, was the first in the country to feature gambling, dining, entertainment and luxury accommodations under one roof. During its heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s, guests included Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett.

The Mapes, distinguished by its Art Deco architecture, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, but that distinction does not protect it from demolition.

The Reno City Council, which bought the 178-room hotel for $4.5 million in 1996, voted in September to demolish it after failing to develop affordable plans to renovate it.

That decision followed closed-door staff briefings with several members of the City Council--gatherings that critics said violated the state’s open-meeting law.

It was that contention that fueled the lawsuit filed by the Truckee Meadows Heritage Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which listed the Mapes as one of the 11 most endangered buildings in the country. If demolished, this would be the first building the Washington-based group could not save since it began keeping its list in 1988.

On Tuesday, Washoe District Judge James Hardesty agreed with portions of the lawsuit accusing the Reno City Council of meeting privately to discuss the hotel’s fate.

But, in his 17-page opinion, the judge ruled that any violations of that open-meeting law were “clearly and completely cured” when the council met openly in September and voted to demolish the Mapes.

“Naturally we are disappointed with the ruling,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. “We strongly believe the decision-making process over the Mapes Hotel was seriously defective and totally inconsistent with the spirit and objective of the open-meeting laws of Nevada.”

By appealing the ruling, preservationists hope to buy more time for the Mapes--and rally citizen support to save it. A study commissioned by Reno preservationists showed that 57% of Reno’s residents want it saved.

“The loss of this distinguished local and national landmark would represent an unnecessary shame and tragedy for the city of Reno and our country,” Moe said.

Gary Kozel, spokesman for the National Trust, said several proposals to renovate the hotel--including one that would turn it into senior citizens housing with ground-floor retail shops and a top-floor restaurant--were deemed feasible by his group.

But city officials disagree.

“Ideas on how to renovate the Mapes didn’t pencil out financially,” said Reno city spokesman Chris Good. “The building has been vacant for 17 years--a dark, vacant eyesore in the center of our vibrant city. We’ve exhausted every avenue to save the building.

“But there’s great interest in the site, once the building is gone,” he said.

The city’s downtown redevelopment plans call for tourist-oriented retail stores and restaurants capitalizing on the Truckee River.