DCNR NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY – The National Register of Historic Places amended the significance of Bowers Mansion on March 6. Initially listed in 1976, the amendment elevates the mansion from local to national significance.
The National Register is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.
Constructed between 1862 and 1863, Bowers Mansion is on old highway 395 in Washoe City, Nevada. The mansion conveys the story of its owners, Sanford (Sandy) and Eilley Bowers, and the successes and failures associated with the wealth they amassed and lost as the West shifted from placer to hard rock mining.
Notably, the Bowers’ home is an early example of how wealth acquired from hard rock mining enabled impressive mansions to be built away from the mine sites. The amendment provides a national context for hard rock mining as well as an opportunity in the future to evaluate the mansion as a National Historic Landmark.
Bowers Mansion retains excellent historic integrity in both its interior and exterior. Despite changes in ownership and declines in maintenance, the mansion was restored and rehabilitated during the 1960s. Today, the expansive home and grounds are maintained as the Bowers Mansion Regional Park where views both to and from Washoe Valley remain much as they did during the days of the Bowers.
“This familiar destination for generations of Nevada family outings deserves this national recognition.” said Acting State Historic Preservation Officer Rebecca L. Palmer.
For additional information about Bowers Mansion please visit Mansion Regional Park at http://www.washoecounty.us/parks.
The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office encourages the preservation of Nevada’s historic and prehistoric heritage through federal and state programs. It provides federal grants from the National Park Service to fund historic preservation activities in Nevada. The office assists federal and state agencies, local governments, private nonprofit organizations and private citizens to preserve buildings and archaeological sites.
