Case Study: Victorian House on North B Street, Nevada

Exterior of the B Street cottage after rehabilitation showing repaired and freshly painted wood siding.

The one-and-one-half story, wood-frame house on North B Street in Virginia City, Nevada, was constructed c. 1875 after a devastating fire destroyed a large portion of the city. An example of an upper-middle-class home built on what is known as “millionaire’s row,” the property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Comstock Historic District.

Top: Exterior of the B Street cottage before rehabilitation. Below: Historic stair hall after rehabilitation.

The building underwent a rehabilitation inside and out as part of a conversion to a new use as a bed and breakfast. On the exterior, the owners repaired the historic woodwork and original wood windows, repaired all doors, and installed a new roof. Interior work included replacing outdated electrical and plumbing systems, repairing hardwood floors and wood trim, and installing new partition walls in the attic to accommodate guest bedrooms. The $157,000 project utilized the Federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. It also caught the attention of HGTV which featured the property in a segment of its program, If Walls Could Talk.