Nevada Supreme Court blocks demolition of historic hotel

Brendan Riley

Friday, Dec. 24, 1999 | 9:36 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Preservationists trying to save Reno's historic Mapes Hotel from a Super Bowl Sunday implosion got an early Christmas present from the Nevada Supreme Court - a stay order.

The high court on Thursday temporarily blocked wreckers from preparing the 52-year-old hotel-casino for the Jan. 30 implosion. Bulldozers that leveled a mezzanine a day earlier promptly stopped pawing at the downtown Reno landmark.

Lawyers for the city immediately asked the court to cancel its order. And if the order stands, the attorneys said local and national preservation groups should post a substantial bond.

Pending analysis of the petition and the city's response, the Supreme Court ordered a halt to any work that might cause further structural damage to the old hotel.

"My clients are very happy about the stay," said attorney Jeffrey Dickerson, who on Wednesday petitioned the court on behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local save-the-Mapes advocates.

He added there's no need for a high bond since the Mapes case is "a public interest issue."

Dickerson said there's a reasonable probability the preservation groups can prevail due to open meeting law violations by officials who met privately to discuss the hotel - on the trust's list of the top 11 most endangered buildings in the country.

But Reno City Attorney Patricia Lynch challenged the claim of an open meeting law violation, noting there were more than 55 public meetings on the Mapes' fate and no "intentional disregard of the law."

Lynch said a stay pending outcome of a Supreme Court appeal could cost the city nearly $500,000, and the preservationists should post a bond of at least $250,000 should the stay remain in effect.

The Supreme Court was asked to intervene after Washoe District Judge James Hardesty rejected a lawsuit filed by the preservationists and lifted an earlier order blocking demolition work.

Hardesty agreed Tuesday with part of the lawsuit accusing the Reno City Council of open meeting law violations - but said the violations were "clearly and completely cured" by a Sept. 13 public vote in favor of demolition.

Built on the banks of the Truckee River in 1947, the 12-story, art deco building was the first in the nation constructed specifically to house a hotel, casino, restaurant and live entertainment under one roof.

During the Mapes' heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, entertainers such as Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett headlined in its famous Sky Room with top-floor views of the Sierra Nevada.

The Mapes has been vacant since 1982. Since then, three plans to refurbish the building have fallen through. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

"The loss of this distinguished local and national landmark would represent an unnecessary shame and tragedy for the city of Reno and our country," said trust president Richard Moe.

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