STOP UNR’s PLANS TO DEMOLISH THE HISTORIC HOUSES OF THE UNR GATEWAY!

Problem

We understand that the University of Nevada, Reno is moving forward with plans to demolish the historic houses on the Center Street block between Eighth and Ninth Streets, just south of the UNR campus.

We ask you to join Historic Reno Preservation Society (HRPS) and other preservation groups and individuals to entreat UNR President Marc Johnson and the Board of Regents to stop this needless destruction of the Center Street Block.  This would allow the community to find a solution to preserve these historic houses.

With the sudden withdrawal of the proposal from Burning Man/Common Ground to relocate ten of the historic houses of the UNR Gateway, UNR administrators have initiated plans to demolish them.

We collectively and strongly object to the university’s plans to prematurely demolish the historic houses of the Center Street Block in order to prepare the area for new construction that is years away. Demolition of structures that are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, as many of the Center Street houses have been professionally evaluated, should only be considered after all alternatives have been exhausted, and time has run out. Neither is the case here.

UNR President Johnson recently stated, "Until we have a secure site, we cannot move forward with the preliminary designs for the buildings. If we can't get the houses moved, then as a last resort we will have to take them down in order to create building sites." https://www.nnbusinessview.com/news/how-should-reno-balance-new-development-with-historical-preservation/

A site needs only to be acquired, not cleared, for the university to proceed with fundraising and design of new buildings, and the university has already acquired these parcels. The urgency to demolish in order to proceed with future plans is simply unfounded and needlessly destructive.

             Importance of the Neighborhood
The six houses on the west side of Center Street between Eighth and Ninth Streets comprise Reno’s last remaining intact block of 19th century residences. A university is a guardian of culture, and UNR as a public university has an even greater responsibility to the State and community it serves. The university has taken great care with its own historic buildings, and it is time to respect the heritage of the community that first welcomed the university to this city more than 130 years ago.

Solution
We ask the University to delay razing the irreplaceable historic houses on the Center Street block to allow the community time to formulate a workable plan for preserving as many of the houses as possible.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1)       Sign this online petition and forward it to everyone who might be concerned

2)       Contact Key Decision  Makers:

University of Nevada, Reno, Office of the President

Marc Johnson, President                                 marc@unr.edu                        Phone:  (775) 784-4805

Heidi Gansert, ED External Relations            hgansert@unr.edu                   Phone: (775) 784-4778

Board of Regents, representing our area:

Kevin Page, Chair kpage@nshe.nevada.edu

Jason Geddes        jgeddes@sbcglobal.net

Rick Trachok         rtrachok@nshe.nevada.edu

Additional Regents contact information can be found at https://nshe.nevada.edu/leadership-policy/board-of-regents/current-regents/

3)      Write letters to the editor:

·         Reno Gazette Journal        letters@rgj.com or

                                                     longer opinion pieces at columns@rgj.com

·         Reno News and Review http://www.newsreview.com/reno/contactLetter2editor.html

4)      View the Historic University Gateway Tour on Reno Historical:

·         http://renohistorical.org/tours/show/9

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! THE WRECKING BALL IS CLOSE!