New Reno Historic Markers Offer More Glimpses of the City's Rich Past

Martha Wingfield House, built in 1902 (Photo by Julia Moreno)

  While Reno hasn’t always been diligent about preserving its history, or telling its story, a series of fourteen new historic plaques in the city’s Midtown area are an attempt to change that.

  Supported by the Reno City Council, the Reno Public Works Department, the Reno Historic Resource Commission, the Midtown Business Association, the Regional Transit Commission and local historian Alicia Barber, the plaques note the location of more than a dozen historic commercial buildings and homes in the area south of the Truckee River and largely along South Virginia Street.

  Among the sites included are:

  • The Carr Residence and Office (669 So. Virginia St.), a bungalow built in about 1922 for the Sharpe family. Two years later, they sold it to local dentist George A. Carr and his wife, Grace. In 1938, Carr hired the noted architectural firm of Frederic DeLongchamps and George O’Brien to design an addition on the front of the house for his dental office. After using it for about 15 years, Carr retired and since then the house has served as a commercial property (most recently as home of a popular local restaurant named Süp).

  • Peerless Cleaners (698 Forest St.) has been in the same building since it was constructed in 1947. Prior to that, the site was the home of the Commercial Soap Factory, which opened in 1905 but burned down in 1935. While originally owned by Bob Cantrell, the two-story brick building was sold to Fred Bonnenfant Sr. in 1949. The Bonnenfant family has operated Peerless since then, with Fred’s grandson, Mark, the current manager.

  • The Martha Wingfield House (735 So. Center St.) is a lovely Craftsman-style home built in 1902 for Henry F. Alps, who was then head of the Reno station of the U.S. Weather Bureau. In 1911, it was acquired by Martha Wingfield, mother of prominent Reno banker/power broker George Wingfield. She lived in the house until her death in 1940. Over the years, it was converted into a commercial building, serving as the home of the Modern Music Center and a construction company. More recently, it has become the home of the Mountain Music Parlor, which hosts traditional American musical performances, workshops and instructional lessons.

  • The Giraudo Building (717 So. Virginia St.) is another structure designed by noted architect Frederic DeLongchamps. In 1928, DeLongchamps designed this two-story brick building with two storefronts for Paul Giraudo, an Italian immigrant who previously operated a shop in Virginia City. The building had six upstairs apartments and a grocery store (Gunter’s) and a wardrobe cleaner on the ground floor. Over the years, the two storefronts have been used as markets, several taverns, a drug store, and a florist. From 1935 and into the 1980s, the southern-most space was the home of Penguin Ice Cream.

  • The Dr. Pepper Bottling Company Building (1049 So. Virginia St.) traces its beginnings to 1939, when Chris Weske constructed the single-story, 6,000 square-foot brick building to house Reno’s first bottling plant for Dr. Pepper soft drinks. Weske operated the facility until 1941, when he left to join the Navy. The plant was sold in 1944 and became Ray’s Auto Body Works, then later became a furniture store. In 1950, it became the home of Sellman and Gravelle Upholstery, which later became Interiors by Gravelle. Since 2006, it has been the home of Melting Pot World Emporium.

  An interactive map of the full list of 14 historic sites can be found at: bit.ly/4c3sfXT. Additionally, the Reno Historical website, www.renohistorical.org, features longer descriptions of the sites written by Alicia Barber.