Historic casino demolished after years of legal wrangling

Scott Sonner

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000 | 10:33 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Dynamite blasts rang out Sunday as one of the nation's oldest hotel-casinos crumpled into a pile of bricks and the National Trust for Historic Preservation suffered its first major defeat in more than a decade.

Thousands gathered downtown to pay their last respects to the 12-story Mapes Hotel or conversely cheer on its destruction - the end of a years-long battle between preservationists and Reno leaders who want to remake the face of the old gambling town.

The implosion, challenged in lawsuits all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court, went off without any apparent problems about 8 a.m. PST.

"I hated to see the old lady go down," said Sherrie Clark of Reno, who watched with a cousin she used to accompany to shows at the Mapes.

"I feel very badly, almost in mourning over the loss of this beautiful building," said Ronald Russom, whose parents held one of the first wedding receptions at the Mapes on Jan. 6, 1948.

The crowd stretched for blocks along Reno's main street, some from as far as San Francisco. A police officer gave a 10-second warning, and the crowd counted down to the explosion.

After more than a dozen loud dynamite blasts, the brick building fell slowly in a wave, sending a giant dust cloud blocks away.

"It was like slow motion," said Bob Meyer, a Washoe County courthouse security officer with a close-up view.

Some were glad to see it go.

"It's way, way, way past due," said Ed Dybowski, a retired firefighter who attended shows at the Mapes during the 1950s.

"It is time to move on because downtown Reno is dying," said Pam McDowell of Reno.

Built in 1947, the art deco high-rise ushered in the modern era of gambling, the first in the country constructed to house a casino, hotel and live entertainment under one roof.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Mapes in 1998 as one of the 11 most endangered places in North America. The national trust and had not lost a battle to protect a site on its list since the rankings began in 1989, although the fate of Detroit's Tiger Stadium also remains uncertain.

"I don't know of a single city that regrets having held on to an important landmark," Richard Moe, president of the national trust, said Sunday.

"I know of many - and Reno joined them today - that regret having lost one. It is sad, tragic and so unnecessary," he said.

About 150 Mapes supporters gathered at a park minutes after the implosion for a wake, where bag pipes wailed "Amazing Grace" and old timers shared their memories.

Demolition crews were selling souvenir bricks for $1 each.

During its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Mae West, the Marx Brothers and Sammy Davis Jr. performed in the window-walled Sky Room with its top-floor views of the Sierra Nevada.

"That place holds a lot of special memories for me," said Les Ede of Reno, who attended his high school graduation at the Mapes and saw Frank Sinatra perform there in the 1950s.

"The demolition leaves a bitter taste in my mouth," he said.

Earlier Sunday, a group of preservationists hanged Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin in effigy and promised a recall effort against him for refusing their requests to postpone the demolition.

In a series of lawsuits, Washoe County District Judge James Hardest agreed the Reno City Council violated Nevada's open meetings law with secret meetings leading up to the September vote to demolish the building.

But he ruled that the council later corrected its errors, and late rejected arguments the council violated open bidding regulations in selecting the demolition team.

A federal judge in Reno earlier refused to grant an emergency injunction blocking demolition and the Nevada Supreme Court declined to block the implosion pending consideration of an appeal of the county judge's ruling.

Lance Glodowski and Mark Rhodes carried signs to the implosion Sunday that read "Blow It Up Real Good," and "It's About Time." They said they were warming up for the Super Bowl.

"It was a great explosion," said Rhodes, a Reno native.

"It's been a debate forever back and forth. Most people could care less," he said. "Now we're going to go have some Bloody Marys."