Carson City properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places

A portion of the Carson City Historic District, designated the "West Side District," recently was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The area was selected for inclusion in the National Register in recognition of its importance to the history of Carson City and the state of Nevada.

The Carson City Historic District has been established in Carson City since 1982.

The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.

Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect historic and archeological resources.

The nomination was prepared by J. Daniel Pezzoni, of Landmark Preservation Associates. The Carson City Historic Resources Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office of Nevada assisted in the nomination.

According to Jennifer Pruitt, principal planner, Public Works Planning Division, Carson City's West Side Historic District encompasses approximately seventy acres at the historic core of Nevada's capital city. Carson City was laid out in 1858 as an orthogonal grid with a north-south orientation following section lines.

The district is linear in form with a maximum north-south dimension of 3,300 feet from Fifth Street on the south to near John Street on the north, and a maximum east-west dimension of 1,800 feet from Curry Street on the east to past Mountain Street on the west, Pruitt said.

A total of 194 primary resources and 142 secondary resources are counted in the district for a total of 336 resources. Most of these resources are classified as buildings - 93 percent. A total of 244 resources, 73 percent, are classified as contributing to the character of the district and 92 resources, 27 percent, are classified as noncontributing.

This latter group is comprised primarily of buildings constructed after the end of the period of significance in 1945 but includes a few historic buildings that have lost integrity.

Secondary resources such as post-1945 garages and sheds constitute a high proportion of the noncontributing resources. Dwellings, mostly single-family, constitute the most numerous building type in the district followed by domestic outbuildings, churches and commercial buildings.

The Carson City Historic Resources Commission and the Planning Division are the city stewards for the Carson City Historic District. Its staff administers a wide range of programs which seek to preserve the heritage of the state and the historic investments of its citizens, Pruitt said.

For more information, contact the Carson City Planning Division, 108 E. Proctor St. or call 775-887-2180.