Planet Hollywood (Reno National Bank)

Planet Hollywood (Reno National Bank)

Planet Hollywood (Reno National Bank) Photograph by Julie Nicoletta
1915, Frederick J. DeLongchamps. 204 N. Virginia St.

This Beaux-Arts structure, its formality characteristic of much of DeLongchamps's early work, was the architect's first commission for George Wingfield. He used malleable terracotta to great decorative effect in reliefs high on the walls. The west facade has a double-height portico with Ionic columns, whereas the south wall has two-story Ionic pilasters because there was insufficient space for columns.

Wingfield used the building as headquarters for his statewide chain of twelve banks, from which he made extensive loans to support Nevada's livestock industry. However, the Great Depression led to the bank's collapse in 1932, followed by Wingfield's bankruptcy three years later. The building housed various banks until the early 1990s, when it was converted into a restaurant, part of the Planet Hollywood chain. Though the exterior remains largely intact, garish pink-and-green-striped awnings over the windows and palm fronds topping the Ionic columns somewhat obscure the building's classic lines.

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