Stateline duo repositions downtown Carson City building

A downtown Carson City building has new owners, a new name and at least one new tenant.

Steve and Wendy Kaplan bought the 20,000-square-foot, two-story building at the corner of Washington and Carson streets in July.

The Stateline couple will soon rechristen it Carson Square and add new signage to the 60-year-old commercial property that was built as a movie theater and once housed a casino.

And this week the Carson City Visitor’s Bureau will open up its new location there, in 2,900-square-foot, first-floor space featuring a retail outlet and new visitor’s lounge.

“People can come in, sit down, have coffee, look at the maps,” says Kyle Horvath, social media and communications manager for the visitor’s bureau.

The bureau is moving after two decades in its spot next to the Nevada State Railroad Museum on Carson Street near Fairview Drive.

“We’re moving to be more in the center of downtown for the convenience. People can come in, get all the information and start walking around downtown. Now they have to park and get back in their car,” says Horvath. “And we’ll have the ability to be part of all the downtown events, like the Nevada Day Parade.”

The building shares a parking lot with its next-door neighbor, the Nevada State Museum, a big local draw for tourists, says Horvath.

Several long-term tenants, including Platinum Salon & Day Spa and the Nevada Arts Council, are staying. About 7,500 square feet is available, starting at $1.20 per square foot, which can be configured in various ways, from 600 square feet to 3,000 square feet, for additional tenants, says Steve Kaplan.

The Kaplans have replaced carpeting, ceiling tiles and dry wall throughout the building after heavy rains and a leaky roof, which has been replaced, caused extensive water damage.

The couple purchased the bank-owned building for $825,000.

A few months earlier, the pair bought a duplex on Imperial Way in Carson City and was looking for additional residential property to invest in when their agent, Thane McCall with Sotheby’s International Realty in Zephyr Cove, suggested they check out the Carson Street commercial property.

“It was at $1.25 million and had no takers,” says Steve Kaplan. “But the more we investigated it, the more we realized it was nice building in a great location.”