Preservation advocates are concerned about the pace of new construction and what that could mean for Reno's historic structures. Reno Public Radio's Julia Ritchey sat down with local Realtor and preservation activist Barrie Lynn to get her take on the role of preservation in redevelopment.
Below are a few excerpts of the conversation or listen to the full interview. We'll have another perspective on this issue in the coming weeks.
Q: What are some major issues critical to historic preservation in Reno?
Lynn: I think the right now the most critical issue that the preservation community is facing, is the historic UNR Gateway District. It’s an area that is referred to in the most recent version of university’s master plan. …That is an area that the university has decided they would like to redevelop, and they don’t, at this point, see a way to incorporate the dozen or so homes that are over a hundred year old into that plan.
Q: Why do you disagree?
Lynn: The reason that the homes in the Gateway are so significant is that they are the largest collection of homes over 100 years old. There is one particular home that is 121 years old; they’re all in good condition. And they have a relationship to the university. It’s one of the oldest instue in Reno, and these homes were build shortly after the campus started here. And they were built for people who had a connection to the university
Q: Earlier this week you took a photo of a bulldozer razing a very old craftsman home on Cheney Street in downtown Reno, which got picked up by a popular Facebook page Downtown Makeover Why do you think this resonated with people?
Lynn: I think this is a very recognizable home that a lot of people, over the years, they’re very familiar with it. …It’s been around for 114 years as far as I know, it may be older. …There was a horse hitching post out front, which indicates that it was built before automobiles. It’s a structure that has made an impression on people.
Q: What are some good examples of adaptive reuse of buildings?
Lynn: We do have a lot of developers who understand the importance of preservation. The downtown Post Office, 50 S. Virginia Street, the Carter brothers have adaptively reused that for commercial. The Depot [brewery on 4tt Street] is an excellent example of adaptive reuse that really retains the character of the building. They have so much education information in there about trains. So they’re really embracing the history of the building, too.
Q: Why is historic preservation important to Reno?
Lynn: Preservation is pretty much a voluntary process, and in a lot of other cities, they have embraced it and they have understood the connection to their culture and their sense of place. Reno is really a unique city because it was founded in the 19th century, and we have very little evidence of that era left. I think there is a lot of misinformation on how old Reno really is. So preserving the relics of our past is an important tool for helping form the identity of our city and creating our unique culture.
