There's ever so slow movement on the Lear Theater at 501 Riverside Drive with the City of Reno now looking for a consultant to help with its next act.
"The City of Reno is currently accepting sealed submissions for a qualified consultant for a Historical Structure Report – Lear Theater. This Request is exempt from standard NRS §332 guidelines per Chapter 332.115(1)(b). Sealed submissions will be received until 3:00 pm, 01/29/2024, via our online portal. Said RFPs shall be opened no earlier than 3:05 pm 1/29/2024," an email from today indicated.
A week ago, Devon Reese gave details on how the City is spending the $1 million in ARPA funding it voted for in March 2023 for improvements to the once majestic, now falling in disrepair and still barely standing Lear Theater, to include landscaping and fencing.
These were the councilman's detailed bullet points:
"Clean and inspect the interior of the building to identify any urgent issues that threaten damage to the building (for example, broken windows, evidence of pest infestation, or water damage).
• Restore the historic landscaping to include a new lawn and perimeter plantings, irrigation repair, and installation of outdoor electrical power.
• Improve building security by installing an attractive perimeter fence, repair existing
exterior lighting, and install wireless security cameras.
• Engage a consultant to perform a Historic Structures Report to evaluate the building’s
current condition and recommend new uses that are compatible with the building’s
historic fabric.
• Repair deteriorated concrete walks and stairs in the building’s exterior grounds."
Activists have called for the 1939 building to be a center of local Black culture as it was designed by the iconic Black architect Paul Revere Williams.
Its name comes from Moya Lear who purchased the building and donated it to the non-profit Reno-Sparks Theater Coalition in the late 1990s, after housing the local First Church of Christ for decades.
It's been in limbo and mostly disuse for years since, with the City of Reno the latest to try to save it and give it a new active purpose.
