Monday, August 06, 2012

Governor John Sparks

Once owned by former Gov. John Sparks, the mansion served as the de facto governor's mansion during his 1903-08 tenure as governor because the Governor's Mansion in Carson City was not yet built.

The original part of the Sparks Mansion was constructed in 1875 in what is now Reno. The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was moved about 10 miles south to its present site, the southwest corner of Steamboat Valley, along U.S. Highway 395 in 1978. 

 One of Nevada's most historic houses is up for sale after undergoing major renovation by its owners. Former University of Nevada, Reno basketball star David Wood and his wife, Angela, are asking $1.49 million for the Sparks Mansion and 10 adjoining acres in Pleasant Valley south of Reno.