RenoVous

  Originally opened in 1906, this was the first casino in the state.  Gambling was allowed until 1909, when it was outlawed in Las Vegas - until this day in 1931. At the beginning of the Depression, Nevada's mines were in decline and the economy was in shambles.  In response to population flight, the state legislature decided to legalize gambling, followed by divorce in 1932. Sin City came to be! The first casino in Reno opened in 1935.

Harrah's Hotel and Casino will be closing down here in Reno and will be converted into a non-gaming hotel, a growing trend in the downtown area. William Harrah opened a bingo parlor on Virginia Street in 1937.  He acquired other casinos and land parcels and began building his high rise in 1968.  The property edged up on the First National Bank, which was built in 1915. Reno's pre-eminent architect, Frederic DeLongchamps, designed the building for George Wingfield. Wingfield made his money in the gold booms in Tonopah and Goldfield.  He went bankrupt following the 1929 market crash, and the building was purchased in 1935 by First National Bank.  The owner and Mr. Harrah developed a close relationship, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Harrah's moved into the building with a series of restaurants, such as Planet Hollywood. The bank building remains a fixture of Harrah's to this day - and hopefully won't be demolished in the conversion....