Back in 1907, a handsome brick building historically known as The Colonial Apartments was constructed in Reno, NV by developer Charles E. Clough and his partner George Crosby, costing over $60,000—a significant sum at the time. It was part of Reno’s rapid growth in the early 20th century, as the city’s population surged and modern, less expensive housing was needed beyond single-family homes. Originally built in the Colonial Revival style, the structure offered 48 furnished apartments with 160 rooms, complete with hardwood floors, marble steps and columns, wall beds, and even an elevator—marketed as “strictly modern in every particular.”
But what made the Colonial Apartments unique was that it was known for renting to Reno’s Divorcees! During the first decades of the 1900s, Reno became nationally known for its relatively short residency requirement for divorce, attracting people (and the lawyers who served them) from across the country. Visitors seeking temporary housing often chose apartment buildings like this one for stays long enough to qualify for divorce proceedings.
In 1972, sisters Anna and Ethel Ross, doing business as The Ross Sisters, purchased the Colonial Apartments and renamed it first the Ross Apartments and then Ross Manor. The Ross family’s stewardship lasted for decades.
Today, the building is completing renovation, transforming the century-old structure into One18 West Apartments, with modern residential units -- while preserving the historic brick exterior as part of downtown Reno’s architectural –and cultural--legacy.
