Senator George S. Nixon House

The home of one of Nevada's most powerful men, this imposing Spanish Colonial Revival mansion of 21,000 square feet is among the neighborhood's largest. Nixon, a wealthy banker who increased his fortune in the Tonopah and Goldfield booms, became a U.S. senator in 1905, when senators were still elected by the state legislature, and he remained in office until 1912. Gates and trees obscure the view from the street, but the house commands a prominent position on the bluff overlooking the Truckee. The Nixon house originally had thirty-three rooms, including eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, and fine half bathrooms. Chicago firm Marshall and Fox, which specialized in luxury hotels and apartments, designed the mansion. A large porte-cochere adorns the main facade, and a one-story colonnaded portico extends along the river side. The red-tiled hipped roof offers a pleasing contrast to the creamy-colored stuccoed walls. A devastating interior fire in 1979 left the structure eerily empty, but in 2002 the mansion was meticulously restored by architect Gail Richie and builder Robert Gurnea.