Category: Historical Buildings

Eureka Opera House

Built in 1880 and recently restored, the Eureka Opera House today functions as a Convention, Cultural Arts and Meetings venue. When it opened it provided the town of Eureka an elegant event location for plays, masquerade balls, dances, operas, concerts plus other social and civic events. With the introduction of the movies in 1915, the […]

Clown Motel

The Clown Motel, located in Tonopah, is a unique overnight experience unlikely to be repeated anywhere in the USA if not the entire world. Only recently built in the 1980s. It was dedicated to the builder’s father, Clarence David, who died in the 1911 Belmont Mine Fire. Mr. David, one of 17 mine workers who […]

The Gold Hill Depot

By the late 1860s, it had become apparent to Comstock mine owners that a more efficient means to transport ore from the mines to the mills along the Carson River (as far as 15 miles away) was needed. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad (V&T) was built under the direction of William Sharon, manager of the […]

Chollar Mine Office/Mansion

The Chollar mansion was built between 1861 and 1863 as the head office of the Chollar Mine and the residence of the mine superintendent. The building was designed by N. J. Colman in an Italianate style, and constructed by H. S. Hill. It was discovered in 1870 that the building was sinking due to the […]

Fourth Ward School

Fourth Ward School, a prominent landmark, sits at the southern entrance to Virginia City. It was built in 1876, in the “fourth ward” district in town, near the Gold Hill-Virginia City boundary. Architect S. M. Bennet designed the building and supervised the construction. Bennet based his design on a plan originally drawn by architect Theodore […]

The C. J. Prescott House

The C. J. Prescott house is a vernacular or “Folk Victorian” residence, and was built in 1864, the first year of Nevada’s statehood. The original owner and builder, prominent businessman C. J. Prescott, was the proprietor of one of the first lumber companies on the Comstock. Prescott’s home, and several others built during Virginia City’s […]

The Savage Mining Company Office

This magnificent 21-room Second Empire style building was constructed by the Savage Mining Company in 1861. The ornate building is an excellent example of the architectural elegance associated with the offices and residences of the mining elite. The top two floors of the building served as the mine superintendent’s residence, while the ground floor was […]

The Gould and Curry Mining Company Office

The Gould and Curry Mining Company Office is one of several imposing buildings constructed in Virginia City by the capitalists who made their fortunes on Comstock silver and gold. Built in 1860 in a simplified brick Italianate style, it served as the office of the Gould and Curry Mining Company. In addition to company office […]