The renovation of the historic Jack's Bar building in downtown Carson City is ongoing.
The renovation of Jack’s Bar — soon to be renamed the Bank Saloon, a return to its original identity — is moving along.
Aaron West, CEO, Nevada Builders Alliance, which bought the Carson City icon and is rehabilitating it, gave a presentation on the project to a joint meeting of the Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee and the Historic Resource Commission on Monday.
“It was built in 1899 and opened as the Bank Saloon and we plan to rebrand it as Bank Saloon,” West said. “It operated for 90 years and has been closed for 30 years. It’s hard to believe it’s been closed that long.”
West said in the last two weeks the building has been undergoing asbestos remediation. In the 1960s, vinyl flooring and roofing material were added and both contained asbestos.
The building has to be gutted. A pigeon colony lived inside, and water damage ruined the floors and affected the walls.
“We found as much as 12 inches of pigeon droppings in some places,” West said. “Ninety percent of the floor is rotted and the walls are collapsing,” as a result.
West is meeting this week with the project architect, Jeff Frame, Frame Architecture, Reno, and the builder, Bill Miles, Miles Construction.
Plans are to restore the building as much as possible to its original design, although West said there are few photos or information to guide the renovation, and current building code will require some deviations from the past.
“The intent is to reestablish it as an iconic building in Carson City, but it’s going to have to take on a little bit of a life of its own,” said West.
The front half of the building will be a saloon. The back half will include two handicap-accessible bathrooms, a conference room, and West’s office because the building will also be NBA’s headquarters.
“We want to maximize it as an attraction. We’ll have a large conference room seating 20 so we can have many events, we may have the wall be able to open between the conference room and bar,” said West.
They’re considering other innovations, including a patio on the roof.
“We’re still kicking around ideas. We’ve been asked if we could include a rooftop deck,” he said. “It would be a cool space to watch the Nevada Day Parade, but we’re trying to balance things.”
West said he expects to submit for building permits early next year.
The two committees also heard an overview of the city’s Facade Improvement Program. The program provides matching funds up to $25,000 for projects by property owners to redo commercial building exteriors in the city’s redevelopment areas. The program was launched in 2016 and has so far provided $187,202 to approved projects.
The Board of Supervisors on Thursday will consider limiting properties eligible for it to buildings on Carson and Curry streets downtown where those streets were improved by the city, and along future street projects such as South Carson Street, once that project begins.
The combined panel also heard a presentation on the South Carson Street project, and another on the federal tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic buildings administered by the National Park Service in conjunction with the State Historic Preservation Office.
