In the background of this photo of the Nevada Day Parade is the French Hotel and the Toscano Bar. This was on the northwest corner of Carson and Caroline streets, just to the north of the State Museum in the old Mint building. This was formerly the Carson Exchange Hotel, owned by D. Circe. In the late 1950s it was torn down, and a modern bank building was built on the site.
The bank was known as First National Bank, and later First Interstate Bank. The bank closed in 1993 and stayed empty for a few years. In November 1997 it was bought by the State of Nevada to become part of the State Museum across the street. Caroline Street to the left was abandoned and turned into a public plaza next to the museum. And the bank building was remodeled to become extra exhibit space for the museum itself. In 2009 a concourse was built linking this exhibit hall to the main museum building.
