Picturesque mural disappearing from casino

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999 | 10:41 a.m.

RENO -- Crews are taking down the picturesque pioneer mural from the front of Harolds Club -- much to the surprise of the artwork's new owner.

"We did not know they were starting today," Harrah's spokeswoman Kerri Garcia said on Tuesday. Harrah's Reno has bought its Virginia Street neighbor.

Piece by piece, the giant mural celebrating "those who blazed the trail" is being cut from the facade above the building's entrance before demolition begins next month.

But where it's going is a mystery that Garcia said Harrah's is not ready to reveal.

The 30-by-80-foot mural, installed on the building exterior in 1949, is made of 30-by-30-inch enameled steel plates. Mirrors and moving parts give the impression of movement behind the waterfall and campfire.

Harrah's bought the shuttered Harolds and Nevada clubs in June and almost immediately hired a San Leandro, Calif., firm to a raze both downtown casino buildings.

Harrah's officials will not say what is planned in place of the clubs, which are among Reno's oldest. The Nevada Club opened in 1946 and closed in December 1997. Harolds Club was open from 1935 until March 1995.