Ormsby House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ormsby House |
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| Location | Carson City, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 600 South Carson Street |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Closing date | October 30, 2000 |
| Theme | Old West |
| No. of rooms | 220 |
| Total gaming space | 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) |
| Owner | Al Fiegehen Don Lehr |
| Architect | David Jacobson Associates |
| Coordinates | 39°09′39″N 119°46′03″W / 39.160772°N 119.767488°W |
The Ormsby House is a building in Carson City, Nevada. It used to be a hotel and casino. It first opened in 1972.
The Ormsby House closed on October 30, 2000. This was for big updates and changes. It was supposed to open again on July 4, 2001. However, many building delays and new plans kept it closed. As of early 2023, the property was for sale. It might become homes and shops instead of a hotel and casino.
Contents
The Story of Ormsby House
The First Ormsby House (1860-1900s)
The very first Ormsby House was built in 1860. Major William Ormsby built it. It was located at 2nd and Carson Streets. Sadly, Major Ormsby died later that year. This happened during the Pyramid Lake War.
The first hotel stayed open until the early 1900s. Then, a person named Dominique Laxalt bought it. After that, the old building was taken down.
Building the New Ormsby House (1972)
In 1972, a brand new Ormsby House was built. It was located at 5th and Carson Streets. Dominique Laxalt's son, Paul Laxalt, built this new hotel. Paul Laxalt later became the Governor of Nevada.
In 1975, the Laxalt family sold the hotel. Woody Loftin became the new owner. When he passed away in 1985, his son Truett Loftin took over. Truett Loftin spent a lot of money to build a large parking garage.
Challenges and Closures (1990s)
Around this time, casinos in Nevada faced new competition. Many Indian casinos opened in California. The Ormsby House hotel had money problems in 1990. It had to get special help to avoid closing completely.
In 1993, the property was taken by lenders and shut down. The Ormsby House stayed closed for two years. In 1995, Barry Silverton reopened it.
However, in 1997, the Ormsby House faced money problems again. It was taken by lenders once more. The new owners hired Bob Cashell to manage it. He was a former lieutenant governor and later became the mayor of Reno. Cashell was a good manager and helped the hotel do much better.
New Owners and Long Renovations (1999-Present)
In 1999, two businessmen bought the Ormsby House. Their names were Al Fiegehen and Don Lehr. They owned a computer company. They paid $3.75 million for the property.
They thought about keeping the casino open while they updated it. But they decided to close it completely. All the employees were let go. They planned a full renovation, inside and out. This project ended up taking many years.
The Ormsby House closed for work on October 30, 2000. The updates were first planned to finish by July 4, 2001. But there were many delays in building. Plans changed often, and there were issues with permits. The owners even thought about tearing the building down at one point. This was due to problems with city rules about asbestos removal.
As of early 2023, the Ormsby House was still closed. For many years, a small casino called the Winchester Club operated. It was in the hotel's parking garage on Fridays and Saturdays. This helped keep the building's Nevada state gaming license active.
In March 2018, the owners let the building permit for renovations expire. They said the building would likely become homes and shops. It would no longer be a hotel and casino. They mentioned that many people had shown interest in buying it.
Don Lehr, one of the owners, passed away on March 22, 2022.
