Neoclassical Style Architecture in Nevada
Courtesy of the Nevada Historical Society.
A historic photograph captured the Washoe County Courthouse shortly after its completion in 1911. Frederic DeLongchamps, one of Nevada's most noted architects, won a design competition for this project not long after beginning his practice.
Courtesy of the Alicia Lawrence Collection, James R. Dickerson Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Frederic DeLongchamps, a prolific Nevada architect, designed one of his most attractive courthouses for Clark County. The building dated to 1914 and was unfortunately demolished after being replaced by its 1958 successor.
The Elko County Courthouse has changed little since its completion in 1911. It remains one of the most monumental public buildings in Nevada.
Courtesy of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.
The Levy House (1906) in Reno is a Neoclassical building with Ionic columns supporting the two-story portico. Other classical details include a pediment and dentils.
Photograph courtesy of Josh Berry.
Front view of the Lear Theater in Reno, Nevada. This well-known local landmark was designed by famous African American architect Paul Revere Williams and was constructed in 1939. The building housed a local branch of the First Church of Christ Scientist until 1998 when it was purchased by local philanthropist Moya Lear with the plan to turn it into a community theater.
A revival of interest in classical models of architecture dates from the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. The neoclassical style came into vogue during the last decade of the nineteenth century and retained its popularity through the first half of the twentieth century.
Neoclassical buildings employ a wide range of motifs from Greek and Roman architecture. Unlike the earlier Greek revival movement, which called for the use of the narrow side of the rectangular footprint to serve as the front elevation, the broad aspect of a neoclassical building usually included its ceremonial entrance with its characteristic full-height entry porch. Public buildings of the period became the principal manifestation of the neoclassical style although some residential and commercial structures show neoclassical influence. Specific motifs include all the various classical orders of columns, symmetrical design, classical window surrounds, and domes.
The Washoe County Courthouse is one of the more elaborate manifestations of neoclassical architecture in Nevada. Most of Frederick DeLongchamps' courthouses—which began with the Washoe County facility—rely on the neoclassical style, making it nearly synonymous with turn-of-the-century public architecture in the state.
