Whitney Peak Hotel

Whitney Peak Hotel

Fitzgerald in 2006
Former names Fitzgeralds Reno
CommRow
General information
Address 255 North Virginia Street
Town or city Reno, Nevada
Country United States
Groundbreaking 1974
Construction started 1974
Completed 1976
Opened May 17, 1976 (May 17, 1976)
Renovated 2011, 2013
Cost $1,500,000
Renovation cost $1,500,000
Owner DRW Holdings LLC
Height
Height 50 ft (15 m)
Roof 420 m2 (4,500 sq ft)
Top floor 420 m2 (4,500 sq ft)
Technical details
Floor count 16
Floor area 420 m2 (4,500 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators 4
Design and construction
Architecture firm Worth Group
Other information
Number of rooms 347
Number of suites 347
Number of restaurants 1
Website
Official website

Whitney Peak Hotel (formerly Fitzgeralds Reno and CommRow) is a non-gaming hotel in Downtown Reno, Nevada.

History

Fitzgeralds Reno (1976–2008)

Lincoln Fitzgerald, owner of the Nevada Club casino, began construction on a new 16-story, 347-room hotel and casino in 1974.[1] Fitzgeralds Reno opened on May 17, 1976, at a total cost of $16 million.[1]

After Fitzgerald's death in 1981, his widow, Meta, sold the property in 1986 to the Lincoln Management Company for $26.25 million.[1]

Fitzgerald's Reno was the last of 4 properties owned by Fitzgeralds Gaming to be sold after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2000. Prior to this, sister properties were located in Las Vegas, Tunica, Mississippi and Black Hawk, Colorado.

In 2005, Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc., owner of Atlantis Reno, attempted to acquire Fitzgeralds Reno. In April 2007, L3 Development, a development firm based out of Chicago, Illinois, announced its intention to purchase the property and convert it into a boutique hotel.[2]

On November 1, 2007, ownership of Fitzgeralds Reno officially transferred to a joint partnership between L3 Development and RAC II LLC, marking the first time in decades that the property was under private ownership.

CommRow (2011–2013)

On October 1, 2008, Fitzgeralds Reno announced its imminent closure in November 2008. 470 employees were laid off and the new ownership evaluated options for the property. The lower floors re-opened as CommRow on October 1, 2011 with the world's tallest climbing wall constructed on the exterior, CommRow was designated to have a hotel component but this never materialized and the business model as a whole, struggled and closed down on January 1, 2013.

Whitney Peak Hotel (2014–present)

Whitney Peak Hotel was announced as CommRow's replacement and the Chicago-based ownership decided it was going to gut the aging structure and rebuild from scratch, the multi million renovation has culminated to a grand opening set for Memorial Day weekend 2014. The completely renovated property will show no trace of the prior CommRow or Fitzgeralds Reno. The 164' exterior climbing wall and indoor climbing boulders are the only remnants from the past business model. On the 1st floor, Chicago's 555 International design firm has laid out a completely new floor plan where slots and table games used to be, Heritage, a new American urban hip restaurant which opened under the direction of celebrity chef Mark Estee and Cargo, an 1100 capacity concert venue. The 2nd floor reopened as BaseCamp, completely renovated. And 157 of the hotel's more than 300 rooms have been renovated and reopened.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kling, Dwayne (2010). The Rise Of The Biggest Little City: An Encyclopedic History Of Reno Gaming. University of Nevada Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-87417-829-0. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  2. ↑ "Chicago development company agrees to buy aging Reno casino". April 7, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-12.

Coordinates: 39°31′41″N 119°48′50″W / 39.527959°N 119.813897°W / 39.527959; -119.813897

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