You know, it’s no fair. They’ve finished most of the outside work, and moved inside. You can see trucks pulling up and delivering steel studs and drywall, and late at night the work lights are on inside the hotel. But since they’re not doing a lot of work outside, there’s not a lot to take pictures of. So I’ll have to give you the little that I have.

Here in the back, along Curry Street, was the last wall they had to finish. They saved this for last, probably because it was the least visible. But here it is primered a bright white, just waiting for that last coat of paint.

And here’s the last coat of paint. With this, all four walls are finished all the way around the casino.

Except for this. This mystery hole still persists, and it’s really got my attention now. What could they be doing here, especially since everything around it is nice and painted?

The portecochere, already painted most of the way down its legs, gets a fresh coat of FakeRock™ at the base of each pillar.

These guys get to assemble the rocks like a jigsaw puzzle, making sure there aren’t any empty gaps.

And now for the big job. All this time while the hotel was getting fixed up, the parking garage was just sitting there, this big ugly hulk hanging in space. Maybe that reddish brown paint made sense when the hotel itself was colored a hideous brown, but as the casino came to life with its glittering white and beige color scheme, the parking garage started looking more embarrassing. Yes, they painted a small square down in the corner by the Ormsby Club, but the rest of it was neglected.

Until this month, at least. That’s when the cherry picker and paintbrush came out, and they gave this guy the task of painting the garage to match the hotel.

A slow job, I’m sure, since it looks like he was doing it all with a simple roller. You couldn’t even give him a sprayer, huh?

This poor wall. First it was painted white when the Winchester Club first opened. Then, earlier this summer, it was painted beige. And now, scant months later, it’s getting painted white again. Is this what’s known as “making it up as you go along”?

By the end of the month, the whole east wall of the garage was painted to match the hotel. Now the FakeRock™ on the elevator shaft really sticks out…wonder if they have anything planned for that?

Here’s a full look at the wall.

It’s all white and gold now. Opening Day might actually be in sight sometime in the next 12 months!

This month, September 2005, also marks the fifth anniversary of the closing of the Ormsby House. I found this article in the Reno Gazette Journal, and it’s really interesting to look back at it. It’s pretty amusing when they say the opening date is set for July 4th, 2001. But even better is this passage:

Fiegehen and Lehr had originally planned to keep the Ormsby House open while completing remodeling. But the pair soon discovered the endeavor would be too great and that closure was necessary. “It still could be done, but then it would be a five-year renovation,”” Lehr said.

Did somebody say five years?

See you next month.