Visitreno

[remano]

The RGJ reports this morning that the King's Inn, closed since 1982, has been sold to an investment firm for $500,000. Now they just have to pay off something like $360,000 in back real estate taxes to get clear title. Then, they have to find something to do with the building. Looks like it won't quite be ready in time for Shooty's upcoming trip, but we can still hope. The article said the buyer's address is the same as a company that just filed for bankruptcy last Spring, so that bears watching as well ... something about "the blind leading the blind" or some such.

[stan_allen]

I've got a great idea - they should make it into a casino! They could offer table games with attractive rules, high-payback slots, a strong comps program, a high-quality but affordable buffet, and well-appointed guestrooms!

Think about it; it's a great location, right in the middle of downtown Reno!

Half the infrastructure is already there; there are rooms which could easily be converted into hotel rooms - I think I've even seen tables and lamps in the rooms, right up against the windows - half the work's already done!

Maybe they could give it a "Royal" theme, and call it "King's Quarters", or "King's Royal Match", or "King's Inn", or....wait a minute.

Oh, nevermind.

[BC Dave]

Thanks for the info Remano. I've had a picture from around 1986 or maybe a bit later, that I wondered about for quite awhile. I think I took the pic from a room in Fitzgeralds. Here it is.




The "OPEN" sign is, of course, what made me wonder. And I guess it could take years, under those circumstances, for someone to get around to changing the sign. But according to my book, "The Rise of the Biggest Little City" by Dwayne Kling, the King's Inn's casino closed in 1982 but the hotel remained open until 1986. The poor place had an operating casino for only seven years and had a large outstanding loan incurred during construction. That's what forced them into bankruptcy. But the final straw for the hotel was a failure of their sprinkler, heating and ventilation systems to meet fire code regulations.

I used to pass the place many times as I walked to the Sands and peer in the windows. The silent rows of dusty slots sat there for years. Back then it seemed almost realistic that somebody might reopen the place.

But as the years went by some windows were broken, then boarded up or covered with paper. There were a few spots left where you could peek in but now the old slots were gone too.

I won't quote the book any further but it sounds like it could have been a fun place. The original owners had some bad luck with debt and it seems they had to wait a very long time for the gaming regulators to approve their casino plans.

Stan your vision for the old place sounds good to me. But I don't know what kind of shape things could be in after sitting in the heat and cold for 25 years. Maybe they could have a rustic theme! All the same, wouldn't it be cool to walk into that place after someone had breathed new life into it!