Renovated Maytan building in Midtown Reno earns commercial design award

RENO, Nev. — The old Maytan Building at 777 Center St. in Midtown Reno was renovated in 2015 in a project led by architectural firm Hawkins and Associates and general contractor Shaheen Beauchamp Builders.

Five years later, the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented Hawkins and Associates with the 2019 Commercial Architecture Citation Award for Design Excellence.

“The Maytan building was a cultural icon in Reno for decades,” said Jack Hawkins, founder of Hawkins and Associates, in a press release announcing the award. “People had fond memories of the building – whether they had their first music lesson, bought their first guitar or their kids had music lessons there, people were worried about it changing or disappearing. It was kind of a challenge.”

The building — which currently is home to Midtown Diamonds, Piñon Bottle Company and Noble Pie Pizza Parlor, among other businesses — still is home to a 15-year old mural on northside exterior wall that was created by a local artist.

According to the press release, the building makes passive use of the sun to strategically heat and cool tenant spaces, and maximizes energy efficiency by incorporating extra insulation instead of its pre-condition of virtually non-insulation; efficient glazing and access to solar voltaic preparation.

“The most sustainable aspect of the project, though, is the reuse of a 60-year-old building that had all but outlived its first life and is now equipped for a second life as a mixed-use development that can still give back to the public in a very different way,” Hawkins said.

The developer on the project was Tom Johnson, and Vance Gabbart from Gabbart and Woods provided structural engineering.

For their part in the 2015 renovation, Shaheen Beauchamp Builders previously received the 2016 Summit Award for Mixed-Use Development of the Year from the Northern Nevada chapters of Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM), Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.