March 2024

HRPS News & Updates

Dear HRPS Members,

March is Women's History Month, and what better way to acknowledge the contributions of women than by attending our program on Sunday, March 10, featuring superstar journalist and photographer, Marilyn Newton. Details below.

At our February meeting, Alicia Barber, along with Demetrice and Ken Dalton from Our Story, Inc., gave an arresting presentation on new research on Reno's Black History. There was so much interest we had to cut off the questions, as there was another group scheduled for the room!

The presentation dovetailed with a recent PBS showing of "Black Springs Homecoming: Finding History", an award-winning documentary produced by Nevada Humanities and directed by Tsanavi Spoonhunter. Thank you Alicia, Demetrice, and Ken. We hope to schedule a program on Black Springs with a tour of the Northern Nevada African American Firefighter Museum next fall.

You might also want to read Debbie Hinman's article on the early history of Black Springs, published in the Winter 2010 edition of FootPrints (story starts on p. 7).

Speaking of Debbie Hinman, Deb recently gave a talk to the Twentieth Century Club, Nevada's oldest women's organization, founded in 1894. Titled, "Three Divorcees, They Came and They Stayed", Debbie chronicled the lives of Marcia Hart, Hazel Payne, and Monaei Lindley. HRPS was selected as their charity of the month with members making a $375 donation to HRPS. Thank you TCC!

If you know of a club or organization looking for a speaker, let us know! Deb and several other HRPS members are available to share interesting stories of Reno's history with local audiences.

In February we welcomed veteran HRPS member and former HRPS president, Sharon Honig-Bear, back to the board. Sharon brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to the position and will be actively engaged in the Home Tour and other community outreach projects.

Date change announcement - our 25th anniversary Gala will now be on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the National Automobile Museum. Watch your inbox for a detailed announcement next week.

Keep scrolling for more news of interest, including what we know about the Benham-Belz House - possibly Reno's oldest house - and the Lear Theater.

We thank you for being a HRPS member!

Joy Orlich, President

joyorlich@sbcglobal.net

775-544-0686

Welcome Returning Board Member

Sharon Honig-Bear

Sharon served on the HRPS board from 2007-2013 and again from 2016-2021.

She originated the idea of the Harvest of Homes Tour, and was instrumental in launching the Neighborhood Preservation Fund, now called the Reno Heritage Fund.

Sharon has traveled widely and been a freelance writer and photographer. She currently writes a column entitled "Edible Traditions" for edible Reno Tahoe magazine.

Sharon has been active in the Reno arts and historic preservation community for two decades and is a proud mother of two and grandmother of four. You will see more about Sharon in the upcoming issue of FootPrints (due in mid-April).

Sharon Honig-Bear

March Program

Photographing Nevada

with Marilyn Newton

Sunday, March 10, 2024, Noon-1:30pm

Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center Street, Reno, NV 89501

PLEASE NOTE, WE ARE BACK IN OUR REGULAR LOCATION THIS MONTH, HOWEVER, THE ELEVATOR WILL NOT BE OPERATIONAL.

ACCESS WILL BE VIA STAIRS ONLY.

Marilyn Newton

For more than 50 years, Marilyn has made her career as a chronicler of everything Nevada. Her work has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, appeared in books and won hundreds of awards.

Reno residents know her for her decades of work as a newspaper photographer, covering breaking news, special events and everything in between. In our March program she’ll talk about her work, including a selection of her favorite photos.

Program is free and open to the public.

Marilyn Newton

Nevada Historical Society and Washoe County Libraries present

High Noon with Neal Cobb

A Marvelous Feat

Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Virginia and Gold Hill Water System

with Sherry Griffin Grundy, Curator/Archive Manager, Fourth Ward School

Thursday, March 21, 2024, Noon-1:00pm, via Zoom

Admission is free but advance registration is required.

Sherry Griffin Grundy

Sherry Griffin Grundy is a Resource Development Consultant, Archivist, and owner of Griffin Development Services, LLC in Carson City, Nevada. Sherry began providing services to the Museum in May 2012.

With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and collection management, Sherry supports the Museum in various ways. Sherry has a degree in American History and was a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) for nine years.

Reno's Oldest House Needs Saving

The Benham-Belz House - 347 West Street

As many may know, Jacobs Entertainment recently purchased this house at 347 West Street, one of Reno's oldest houses. Dubbed the Benham-Belz house for the first families who lived there, the house was built in 1868 and is the last remaining house on the original Reno townsite.

The house is available for $1 to anyone who will pay to move it.

In early February, historian and researcher Alicia Barber, artist and historic home restorer, Loren Jahn, and architect and HRPS board member Bradley Carlson got a chance to tour the house with Jacobs' Realtor. They were astonished at the integrity of its original construction and deeply moved at being inside this remnant of Reno's origins.

Loren has since been in touch with the realtor, who says there has been a lot of interest, and has pleaded that this home not be allowed to go into private hands to be converted into office space or a short-term rental. He feels, and others agree, that the best place for this house is on a piece of City-owned property where it can be restored and turned into that long-dreamed of HRPS headquarters and historic house museum.

Our understanding is, an agreement needs to happen by mid-March and the house needs to be moved within 6 months.

Here are links to two RGJ articles, and Alicia Barber's write-up of the property's significance in 2022.

There is also an entry on Reno Historical - Benham-Belz House - The oldest house on the original Reno townsite | Reno Historical.

Support for preserving this house has come from former U.S. Senator Richard Bryan, who sits on the board of Preserve Nevada, and the Nevada Preservation Foundation.

Loren Jahn's rendering of a restored Benham-Belz house inside Idlewild Park - his vision for its future.

Lear Theater Update

At the Historical Resources Commission meeting on February 8, the Commission approved two items relating to the Lear.

The first was a recommendation to City staff regarding the selection of three finalist consulting firms to conduct a Historic Structure Report

Photo credit - Mynews4.com

Ten proposals were considered for this project with the Commission selecting three finalists, including local architectural firm Mercedes de la Garza Architect Studio, to present at a Special Meeting on February 27^th.

The second was a discussion regarding the City’s plans to conduct exterior improvements to the Lear building including landscaping and fence upgrades. The Commission approved the overall concept for these improvements which will be informed by historic photos and Paul R. Williams’s original architectural drawings of the building.

Funding for both projects comes from American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by the Reno City Council in March 2023. The funding must be obligated by the end of December 2024 and projects must be completed by December 31, 2026.

Lear Theater | City of Reno

Do You Have a Penchant for Writing?

Did an English professor ever compliment your writing skills? Have you had to use writing skills in a previous occupation? If so, the Nevada Women's History Project is looking for individuals to compose and write biographies of Nevada women.

Join us in giving long-forgotten Nevada women who accomplished amazing things in their lifetime, due recognition.

We will give you all the researched documentation, and all you have to do is use that information to write her story. Guidelines on how to do this can be found at - https://nevadawomen.org/research-center/biographies-alphabetical

In addition to website guidelines, our editor is only an email away. If interested, please contact Janice Hoke at janicehoke@gmail.com or Patti Bernard at awtuv@aol.com for further details.

Masonic Lodge #13/Reno Mercantile

The Reno Mercantile/Masonic Lodge No. 13 building, at 98 W. Commercial Row, was the oldest standing commercial structure in Reno when it was razed in January 2019. The lodge was chartered by Nevada’s Grand Lodge in Virginia City in 1869, and for the first few years the members met in variety of locales. In keeping with Masonic practice, the group placed the cornerstone of their own building on October 15, 1872.

Photo courtesy of Neal Cobb

Masonic Lodge No. 13/Reno Mercantile (site) - Completed in 1873, the lodge was Reno's oldest commercial building when demolished in 2019. | Reno Historical

Join HRPS Today!

HRPS is "Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Historic Resources in the Truckee Meadows through Education, Advocacy and Leadership". With over 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 local history? If so, forward a copy of this newsletter and encourage them to join HRPS! Or have them go to our website - Historic Reno Preservation Society - and click on the "Join Us" tab at the top of the page.

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

Benefits of Membership