The Woolworth’s building at 101 NVA, along with the old jewelry store / former Good Luck Macbeth Theater, changed hands today for $1,700,000. As reported in the NNBW, the plan is to convert the 1st floor into a new downtown grocery store and the basement into parking. I’ve heard that the 2nd floor is planned for a nightclub, the 3rd floor maybe become a health club, and there are no real plans for the upper floor office spaces yet. Parking is a huge issue, and most of the “historic” jewelry store that is a gravity storm waiting to happen will have to be demoed for a ramp to the basement/
The buy is Battle Born Properties LLC, better known as Jamy Keshmiri – owner of the Ben’s Liquors franchise and partner in a trio of “gentleman’s clubs” including the Wild Orchid on South Virginia Street. No, the Wild Orchid license is not transferable to this location!
This is the first domino to fall of the 4 or 5 (6 with some luck) major, transformative projects about to be announced in downtown Reno. Microsoft/Siemens/UNR. 18,500 SF UNR lease. Apple (nope, it isn’t dead, just a new and improved location). There are signs that the Virginian is back in play. And Reno’s favorite eyesore is reported to be in contract but the sale hasn’t recorded yet so I won’t comment yet. I took a load of crap predicting this around the first of the year!
You can see what a group I was associated with was proposing for the property HERE. We bailed due to the $6-10M cost just to get the building into code complaint shell condition. It sure would have been a lot of fun completing the residential portion of the project – the views are amazing. Just another one that got away, at least for now.
Idiot move, or the start of something big?
REreno 
peaved@peavine said:
Nice.. but speaking of transformative projects.. here’s where one is needed: The Parklane movie theater. Have you seen the deplorable conditions of this theater? Went to a movie there about a week ago. Had to wade through bird (crow) excrement, in order to buy a ticket. Crows were dive-bombing.. It reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS! Also dirty, inside.. I won’t go there anymore, unless there is a transformative project to clean it up..
cleancitylover said:
Transformative projects are what is needed to invigorate and clean up our community. These projects will draw customers.
DRB said:
@peaved… Not quite midtown so good luck on getting it cleaned up…1st to 3rd in the casino core still needs a lot of cleanup. I just have trouble understanding the demand for downtown offices with low parking (N of the River)…. maybe gov’t institution????
Eric Raydon said:
Hey, you don’t have to obscure our identity on these things if you don’t want to. Great article!
Sent from my iMarmot.
JKABrown said:
The only thing idiotic may be timing. I think Powning District will be the next area to undergo a rapid transformation. The Woolworth building may be a good idea for 5-10 years down the line. If someone can have a vision that is actually long term, not short , it may succeed.
Good luck to them.
Rob NW Reno said:
Mike –
You mention Microsoft / Siemens / UNR / Apple. What, if anything, can you describe about these? Are you suggesting downtown might have some life coming into it?
unpeaved@peavine said:
It will be great, if these places materialize.. but we need more interesting businesses, around, for the high tech workers to shop at.. and better education for their kids, if we want them to move their families here..
Boy Jenius said:
The proposed conversion of the Cal Neva Virginian hotel tower into an incubator / training site for Microsoft Siemens UNR has been kicking around for quite a while. It was openly discussed at a RAD (Reno Alliance for Downtown) meeting a couple months ago.
BanteringBear said:
Same as it ever was. Local kid with daddy’s money playing with it. Yawn.
Walter said:
Reno’s favorite eyesore is reported to be in contract? What, somedbody interested in the Kings Inn?
unpeaved@peavine said:
For Bantering.. Daddy’s money is just as green and effective, as anyone else’s!