Mapes Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mapes Hotel |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 10 North Virginia Street |
| Opening date | December 17, 1947 |
| Closing date | December 17, 1982 |
| Owner | Charles Mapes, Jr. |
| Coordinates | 39°31′32″N 119°48′45″W / 39.52566°N 119.812576°W |
The Mapes Hotel was a very important building in Downtown Reno, Nevada. It was a hotel and a casino located right next to the Truckee River. This tall building was finished in 1947 and opened its doors on December 17 of that year. It was the first skyscraper built in the Western United States after World War II. The Mapes Hotel had a special Art Deco design. It was one of the first buildings to combine a hotel and a casino, setting an example for many modern hotel-casinos we see today.
Contents
A Look Back: The Mapes Hotel's Story
When it opened in 1947, the Mapes Hotel was 12 stories tall. It was the tallest building in Nevada for many years. This changed in 1956 when the Fremont Hotel and Casino opened in Las Vegas. The Mapes family owned the hotel. For much of the 1950s and 1960s, it was the most popular hotel in Reno.
Famous Visitors and Fun Times
Many famous people stayed at the Mapes Hotel. These included movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, and Clark Gable. They stayed there while filming the movie The Misfits. Even a U.S. President, Harry S. Truman, visited the hotel.
The Sky Room was a famous nightclub located at the very top of the Mapes Hotel. Many big singers and entertainers performed there. Stars like Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and Milton Berle entertained guests. At one point, Sammy Davis, Jr. performed in the Sky Room. However, due to rules at the time, he was not allowed to stay in the hotel itself.
During the filming of the TV show Bonanza, many guest stars would stay at the Mapes. For example, in 1959, actor Jack Carson appeared on Bonanza while also performing shows in the Sky Room.
Challenges and Changes
The Mapes Hotel was very popular throughout the 1960s and into the mid-1970s. But by the late 1970s and early 1980s, it faced problems. Newer, more modern casino-hotels were opening in Reno. The Mapes found it hard to compete with these new places.
The Mapes casino closed its doors on December 17, 1982. This happened because the Mapes family faced money problems. There was a difficult economic time in 1981, and another casino they owned, the Money Tree, also struggled.
After it closed, the building was left empty and started to fall apart. Many different owners bought the building. They all had plans to bring the hotel and casino back to life, but none of their plans worked. Finally, in 1996, the Reno Redevelopment Agency took control of the Mapes hotel building.
What Happened Next?
The Mapes Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it was recognized as an important historical site. It was even called a "Most Endangered Site." However, the National Historic Trust could not offer help to the City of Reno to save it.
The City of Reno brought in many groups and engineers to try and save the building. They even asked a company called Artspace Projects, Inc. to study the building. This company later helped fix up the Riverside Hotel, which was across the street from the Mapes.
Sadly, every engineering report concluded that the Mapes was not built very well. They said there was no hope of restoring the building. Even though many local people protested, the City of Reno decided to have the Mapes demolished. This happened on Super Bowl Sunday, January 30, 2000.
Nothing was built on the Mapes site until the winter of 2001. That year, a temporary ice rink was set up there. The ice rink was put on the site every winter until 2004. Then, a park was temporarily created on the lot. Today, the former Mapes site is a permanent outdoor skating rink. It also has a park and cool art displays from the Burning Man event.
