Judge orders protection for historic site

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 1999 | 10:40 a.m.

RENO -- Preservationists scored a temporary victory Tuesday in their bid to save the Mapes Hotel, a battle the head of a national historic trust says is the most important of its kind in the country.

Washoe County District Judge James Hardesty issued the temporary restraining order blocking any significant demolition work at the Mapes Hotel until after a trial on a lawsuit aimed at saving the building.

The trial, set to begin Dec. 16, will give local activists a chance to prove their claims that the city illegally approved the demolition.

"It's certainly a big win for us," said Patty Cafferata, a lawyer representing local activists and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The city has hired contractors to blow up the art deco building, where Sammy Davis Jr. and other stars performed, on Jan. 30, Super Bowl Sunday. It was not clear whether the demolition would be postponed.

The 12-story Mapes opened on the banks of the Truckee River in 1947, when it was the first building in the nation with a casino, hotel and entertainment under one roof.

Since 1982, the hotel has been vacant. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.