Carson City Horseshoe Club owners mulling ideas

Downtown Carson City’s Horseshoe Club building is no longer officially on the market as owners ponder their next move, according to Realtor John Uhart.

Uhart, who heads John Uhart Commercial Real Estate Services, indicated that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be sold, but considerations include awaiting movement in the economy and considering uses other than gaming.

“We’ve taken it off the market,” he said, noting signals from the economy would be helpful. He said anything is for sale at the right price, but mulling options include the family retaining the building at 402 N. Carson St., perhaps considering conversion to retail/office space uses as the downtown evolves.

Downtown Carson Street from 5th Street on the south to William Street on the north will undergo a facelift beginning next spring, widening sidewalks and narrowing the number of vehicular traffic lanes from four to three, as well as adding bike lanes. The goal is to make Carson City’s core area — which includes government, other offices, food and beverage outlets, gaming and retailing — into a more pedestrian-friendly place with enhanced street life.

A plaza is also going on West 3rd Street as the city closes the street just a few blocks south of the club’s location, which is on the northwest corner of North Carson and West Telegraph streets.

In January, the club closed its doors. At the time, Jeanette Kelley, a part owner and the general manager, said owners were consulting about making operational changes.

The club originally was opened by Gene Chaney in the early 1970s and became the property of his five adult children, two of whom grew up in Carson City and operated the small gaming business until earlier this year.

The property owners’ brokers are Uhart and Sam Douglass, who were said shortly after the closure to be in negotiations with some while soliciting offers from anyone interested. Uhart was contacted last Tuesday to determine status of the situation and prospects for the building’s future.

At one point the two-story, 15,300 square foot building was listed for $3.7 million, or about $245 per square foot. The building, which is on 0.19 acres of land, was built in 1925.