Levy House--Three Historic Nevada Cities: Carson City, Reno and Virginia City--A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

[graphic] Three Historic Nevada Cities Carson City, Reno, Virginia City A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

Levy House
Photo by Charles Miller, Courtesy of Nevada State Historic Preservation Office

The Levy House, built in 1906, is an elegant example of Classical Revival architecture in Reno. Ionic columns support the grand two-story portico, and the roof is hipped with gabled dormer windows. The house was built for William Levy, a prominent mining entrepreneur and local merchant who owned the Palace Dry Goods store. Between the Palace Dry Goods, which operated until 1932, and his interests in the Unionville Mining Company, William Levy was able to finance the construction of this imposing home.

The building originally faced Granite Street, now South Sierra Street, but in 1940 it was re-oriented 90 degrees to face California Avenue. The move was apparently made to accommodate the disparate interests of William Levy's heirs, his two daughters, Mildred and Fritzi. The parcel was split into two lots, one for each daughter. The house was moved to the west of its original location and Mildred continued to live in it. Fritzi, who lived in San Francisco, leased her lot to a Signal gas station, later a Chevron, which was demolished when Sierra Street was widened in the 1970s. The move of the house created some unusual changes, such as the set of French doors that open onto a non-existent balcony, and the pull-chain for a toilet that remained after the commode was removed.

The Levy House is located at 111-121 California Ave. in Reno. The home is now a salon and day spa, open 10:00am to 8:00pm Monday-Friday and 10:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday. Call 775-786-7720 for further information.

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