Head of national historic preservation group blasts Reno mayor

Sunday, Jan. 9, 2000 | 8:42 a.m.

Now, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has a message for Griffin: Get with it.

"Other cities are not only saving, but restoring and using buildings like the Mapes," Richard Moe said Saturday. "Only in Reno is such a significant building threatened.

"It's going to be a real black mark on Reno if it comes down, and it doesn't have to come down. There's still time for the mayor and council to take a fresh look at this and do the right thing."

The Mapes, which is on the trust's list of America's most endangered buildings, was the first building in the nation constructed specifically to house a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof.

During its heyday in the 1950s, entertainers such as Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr. and Ray Bolger performed at it.

Griffin urged preservationists to drop their fight after the Nevada Supreme Court last week lifted a stay that blocked plans to implode the 52-year-old hotel-casino on Superbowl Sunday.

But court hearings are still pending on new lawsuits filed by preservationists seeking another temporary restraining order to protect the Mapes.

A hearing before Washoe District Judge James Hardesty is scheduled Monday on a lawsuit alleging the city of Reno illegally awarded the demolition contract.

And a Jan. 21 hearing is set before U.S. District Court Judge David Hagen on a lawsuit claiming the implosion would violate federal environmental laws.

Griffin has criticized the legal maneuvering.

"I appreciate that some people have an emotional attachment to that building," he said. "But we have now reached a point where the will of the majority - and the people's elected representatives - is clear."

But preservationists challenged Griffin's claim, saying a recent poll found most Reno residents favored saving the Mapes.

The survey of 400 residents found 57 percent supported saving it and 33 percent favored demolition, with the rest undecided.

The telephone survey was conducted Nov. 27 to Dec. 5 for the Truckee Meadows Heritage Trust by Reno-based InfoSearch International. It had a 5 percentage point margin of error either way.

"(Griffin) is saying get over it and I'm saying get with the people," said local trust president Toni Mollett Harsh. "If we had an election on the fate of the Mapes, we'd win by a landslide.

"Four members of the city council are up for reelection this year, so I guess we'll find out on election day how residents feel about it."

Preservationists say demolition is unnecessary because a San Francisco developer has come up with a financially viable plan to convert it into senior housing. The council rejected the plan last summer.

"There's absolutely no reason this building has to come down. This plan will work," Moe said. "Nothing is driving this except for stubbornness."

Despite suffering recent legal setbacks, preservationists said they're not ready to give up the fight to save the Mapes.

"I can't say I'm optimistic, but there's always hope," Moe said. "It's an uphill fight at this point, but it's not over until it's over."

His group hasn't lost a major fight since it started listing America's most endangered buildings and places in 1988.