February 2023

HRPS News & Updates

Dear HRPS Members,

After failing to find a Secretary or President for HRPS, we have done some shuffling of positions to get us through the end of our working year, with the hopes that we will be able to fill these positions by the end of May.

Vice President Debbie Hinman has agreed to step back into the position of Secretary, and with special dispensation by the board, I have agreed to step back in as acting President. We hope others will be willing to consider one of these leadership positions beginning in June.

Meanwhile, we are already starting to plan for our summer walking tours, and possibly even a home tour in the fall. A meeting is planned for current walking tour guides on Saturday, February 4, 2023. Details below. If you have ever thought of becoming a tour guide, you're invited to join us. It's a lot of fun and we have several spots to fill.

Our February program is on famed local architect, Frederic DeLongchamps. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this month!

Alicia Barber has been busy adding more locations to Reno Historical, and you'll find two interesting articles from the Reno News and Review on the Placemaking Study for downtown Reno.

February is Black History Month. HRPS continues to assist with documenting the lives and places of Northern Nevada's Black and other underrepresented community members through a grant from the John Ben Snow Foundation. We encourage you to visit the Our Story website for great stories and photos. On the national level, below are links to two items from the National Trust for Historic Preservation you might find interesting.

We have one correction to note in our most recent edition of FootPrints. On page 2 the photo of the blacksmith shop in the top right corner of the page should have been attributed to the Nevada Historical Society. The corrected version is now available on our website - FootPrints, Winter 2023.

Stay safe and warm!

Carol Coleman, Acting President

Historic Reno Preservation Society

board@hsitoricreno.org

775-849-3380

Walking Tour Workshop

Join us Saturday, February 4, 2023, from 10am - Noon at the Reno Historical Society, 1650 N. Virginia St. for a workshop on how to research, prepare, and present a walking tour. Topics covered will include:

"How to Make a Home History"
Resources available at NHS for your research (e.g., Ancestry, newspapers.com)
How to get your questions to NHS in advance and how to make appointments.
How HRPS wants you to give a Walking Tour
What equipment HRPS has for you to use on a Tour
Processes, online registration, plan for onsite registration in 2023
2023 Walking Tour Schedule and sign-ups

This workshop is open to both new and experienced tour guides, and those who just want to know more about what's involved in becoming one, or perhaps volunteering. Please e-mail Carol Coleman at board@historicreno.org if you are interested or have questions.

Jim Smith leads the Ralston Street walking tour.

February Program

The Life and Works of Frederic DeLongchamps

Anne Simone, ZoAnn Campana

Sunday, February 12, 2023, Noon-1:30pm

Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center Street

(Free street parking on Sundays)

Born Frederic Joseph DeLonchamps in Reno, Nevada on January 2, 1882, he was raised in Washoe County, graduating from Reno High School in 1900, then the University of Nevada in 1904 with a degree in mining engineering. He was one of Nevada's most prolific architects, yet is notable for entering the architectural profession with no extensive formal training.

This video presentation highlights the work of DeLonchamps.

Anne Simone moved to Reno in 1998 and immediately joined HRPS and became a Walking Tour Guide. She focused on researching the architects who designed our historic buildings, specifically DeLongchamps, but also Parsons and Mills (and Ferris?). It is Anne’s work that we feature today. From DeLongchamps designs she found at UNR’s Special Collections, she worked to locate all of his buildings, without benefit of addresses or whether they had actually been built or not.

ZoAnn Campana is a professional architectural historian,and is singularly responsible for Newlands Historic District being placed on the National Register of Historic Places, a monumental feat considering that she researched over 600 properties in the process.

Nevada Historical Society and Washoe County Library present

High Noon with Neal Cobb

Rocketdyne Nevada Field Laboratory

by Dick Dreiling

Thursday, February 16, 2023, 12 Noon via Zoom

This fascinating program will share a little-known story of how the local Reno-Sparks area contributed to the space race and the landing on the moon. The program will showcase official Rocketdyne photographs.

Dick Dreiling has been a resident of the Truckee Meadows since 1947 and is a 1956 Graduate of Reno high School. He began collecting Postage Stamps in 1948 and has been collecting Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and Virginia City postcards since 1999. His collection is extensive.

In addition, Dick has been a volunteer with the Sparks Heritage Museum for over 20 years, serving in many capacities, currently as Board Secretary.

Program is free but advance registration is required.

What's New in Reno Historical?

Reno Historical is HRPS' free mobile app and website that lets you explore the history of Reno, Nevada through location-based stories, images, audio clips, and short videos. An editorial board, led by historian Alicia Barber, PhD, is responsible for the content of Reno Historical. The project is dependent on archives and volunteers who supply essays, historical images, interviews, and expertise.

Recently added:

Hart/Keresey House: https://renohistorical.org/items/show/256
Harrah’s Reno: https://renohistorical.org/items/show/257
Club Cal-Neva (Fordonia Building): https://renohistorical.org/items/show/253
Club Harlem (site): https://renohistorical.org/items/show/251
Woolworth’s Building: https://renohistorical.org/items/show/255
Thoma-Bigelow Building (site): https://renohistorical.org/items/show/254

Right: A view of N. Virginia Street in the early 1950s.

Can "Placemaking" Revitalize Reno?

When downtown-Reno business owners were told that city officials are working to revitalize the city’s deteriorating core, it was hard for some of them to hide their skepticism—or resist rolling their eyes. They’ve heard it before. Every decade or so, a plan to invigorate the downtown “entertainment” district emerges.

Two recent Reno News & Review articles discuss the changes over the decades in downtown Reno, and whether residents feel there's hope in the new "Placemaking Study" currently being conducted by the City of Reno.

Things ain’t so great when you’re downtown: Can ‘Placemaking’ revitalize Reno? • Reno News & Review (renonr.com)

From thriving to dying: As gaming spread across the county, Reno’s core devolved into a ghost town • Reno News & Review (renonr.com)

Come in From the Cold Family Entertainment Series

One of our longest running park programs is back for another winter of fun family entertainment! Featuring a variety of performers throughout the series in the warm and cozy Western Heritage Interpretive Center, it's sure to be a hit with the entire family.

Doors open each week at 5:30pm, followed by the program at 7:00pm. Seating is limited! We recommend a $5 donation at the door to help fund the performances which usually last about an hour to an hour and a half. There will be complimentary coffee, tea, and pastries. For more information, please call (775) 828-6612.

Feb 4 - Sage Creek Band

Feb 11 - Jazz Dixie Review

Feb 18 - The Birches

Feb 25 - Western Music & Cowboy Poetry with Richard Elloyan

March 4 - NNBA's Sunday Go To Meetin'

March 11 - Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra

Come in from the Cold Family Entertainment Series 2023 (washoecounty.gov)

Historic Preservation News and Seminars

10 Tips: Restoring vs. Rehabilitating Your Historic House

Congratulations, you just bought a historic home! Sooo...now what?

As you'll find out, historic homeownership brings with it a unique set of questions, decisions, and goals. Let's address one of the most basic questions first: Should you restore or rehabilitate your house?

10 Tips: Restoring vs. Rehabilitating Your Historic House | National Trust for Historic Preservation (savingplaces.org)

Special Virtual Tour: Reclaiming Black Spaces

Special Virtual Tour: Reclaiming Black Spaces - Tenement Museum

Artist in Residence

For most of his life, Jerome Bias heard a specific story about his Black ancestors, a history embedded in trauma and pain, one that only spoke of their existence in the framework of the white family that enslaved them. One day, a shopping trip with his fiancée changed that narrative and the course of his life.

The Persistence of Love: Jerome Bias, Belle Grove's First Artist in Residence | National Trust for Historic Preservation (savingplaces.org)

Join HRPS Today!

HRPS is "Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Historic Resources in the Truckee Meadows through Education, Advocacy and Leadership". With nearly 500 members, your membership is a vote and a voice for historic preservation.

Do you have friends, neighbors, or family members who share an interest in our mission? If so, forward a copy of this newsletter and encourage them to join HRPS!

A single membership is just $25/year ($45 for a family membership), and you can now join and pay online.

Benefits of Membership