Mapes site focus of discussion

Monday, Feb. 28, 2000 | 9:52 a.m.

Event organizer James Mickey said the group plans to submit ideas generated at the workshop to the Reno City Council, which is expected to decide the fate of the site this spring.

"We aren't trying to come up with one plan or concept, but rather we are trying to come up with a variety of concepts or solutions that best utilize the property," he said.

Ideas included high-end shops and restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries, museums and an open plaza with views of the Truckee River.

Participants want to make certain that pawnshops, casinos and tall office buildings aren't considered.

"We want whatever goes there to be as popular 50 years from now as the Mapes was 50 years from when it was built," said architect institute member Mark Johnson.

The 52-year-old Mapes was imploded on Jan. 30, despite efforts by preservationists to save it.

archive