The National Park Service recently announced they have approved the City of Reno’s nomination for the Southern Pacific/Amtrak Railroad Depot (located at 280 North Center Street in downtown Reno) to be on the National Register for Historic Places.
The Reno Depot was the only structure in the State of Nevada to be added to the National Register for Historic Places in this cycle of approvals.
The Southern Pacific Depot was first constructed in 1868 and played an important role in the creation of Reno and its development into a transportation center in the West.
On May 9, 2012, the Reno City Council unanimously approved the concept of renovating the historic part of the Depot into a new heritage center. Over the course of the next few years, the City will be working toward this goal. Earlier this year, the City of Reno received a Certified Local Government Grant from the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office in the amount of $29,900 to assist with the planning for the new heritage center.
The proposed heritage center would be located at the historic Amtrak Depot and will focus on educating residents and visitors about Reno’s diverse historical resources through a variety of interactive formats, e.g. “audio clips,” exhibits, and historical walking and bus tours. The heritage center also will serve as the base for programming related to the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TWHP) initiative. Programming to support the TWHP initiative will include displays and educational materials, as well as a new website which can serve as a hub for lesson plans dedicated to educating Washoe County School District students about historic properties and their broader cultural significance.
