Ormsby House

Ormsby House
Location	Carson City, Nevada, U.S.
Address	600 South Carson Street
Opening date	1972
Closing date	September 23, 2000 (September 23, 2000)
Theme	Old West
No. of rooms	220
Total gaming space	10,000 sq ft (930 m2)
Owner	Al Fiegehen Don Lehr
Coordinates	39.160772°N 119.767488°W / 39.160772; -119.767488
Website	ormsbyhouse.com

Ormsby House is a hotel and casino located in Carson City, Nevada. Originally opened in 1972, it closed on September 23, 2000, for extensive renovations. The re-opening was originally planned for July 4, 2001, but the reopening has been pushed back many times due to construction delays, many remodels and management changes. As of January 2016, the re-opening date is unknown.

History

The original Ormsby House was built in 1860 by Major William Ormsby, at the corner of 2nd and Carson Streets. Major Ormsby was killed later that same year in the Pyramid Lake War. The hotel lasted until the early 1900s, when it was purchased by Dominique Laxalt and later demolished.

In 1972, a brand new Ormsby House was built by Dominique's son, former Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt, at the corner of 5th and Carson Streets. In 1975, the Laxalts sold it to Woody Loftin and on his death in 1985, it passed to his son Truett Loftin. Loftin spent extensive money on a large parking structure, and soon casinos overall in Nevada started to receive more competition from Indian casinos in California. The Ormsby House hotel was forced into bankruptcy protection in 1990 and in 1993 the property was foreclosed and shut down. The Ormsby House stayed closed until 1995, when it was reopened by Barry Silverton. In 1997, it went through bankruptcy and foreclosure again. This time the new owners appointed former lieutenant governor and future Reno mayor Bob Cashell as their general manager. Cashell managed well, and he turned the property around, and in 1999 it was sold to Carson City businessmen Al Fiegehen and Don Lehr, owners of Cubix Computer Corporation. They toyed with the idea of keeping the casino open during renovation, but finally decided to lay off all the employees and perform a complete inside-out renovation, which has now taken over 15 years.

The Ormsby House was closed for work on September 23, 2000. Renovation was originally scheduled to be completed on July 4, 2001, but a combination of construction delays, numerous plan changes, permit problems, and ongoing perceived problems with the city have stretched the project out to more than 15 years. At one point the owners became so frustrated with dealing with the city due to the imposition of laws applying to a remodel that they threatened to demolish the building. As of January 2016, the re-opening date is unknown.

The renovated Ormsby House, when complete, plans to feature a hotel, large casino, four bars, wedding chapel, coffeehouse, fine dining, a buffet, nightclub and entertainment center. A small slots and video poker casino and bar, The Winchester Club operates on Friday and Saturday in the hotel's parking structure, in order to maintain the Nevada gaming license.

External links

• Official website
• Ormsby House Renovation Gallery (construction photos)
• September 23, 2000, Reno Gazette Journal article on the closure and renovation plans
• Carsonpedia Ormsby House article