301 Vassar St
Reno, NV 89502
Retail Property For Sale

Originally built in 1942 on the Reno Army Air Base in Stead, the building was built as a military chapel for the base. In 1945 the base was closed and the building (along with another chapel) was slated to be moved to make room for housing. In 1947 the War Assets Administration disposed of the two buildings. A basement foundation was dug on the site at Vassar and Wells to accommodate the building. On March 29th, 1948 crew stated moving the buildings 9 miles to their new locations, arriving on April 1st at the Vassar/Wells site and the corner of Taylor and Plumas. To accomplish the move, the famous Reno Arch had to be temporarily dismantled. Southern Pacific Railroad schedules were rearranged, and a crew went ahead of the buildings disconnecting overhead power lines. The buildings were originally clad in white horizontal wood siding but received new brick exteriors once placed in their new locations. Architect Edward Parsons, who oversaw the renovations of both buildings, rounded the tops of the Vassar Street windows and added peaks. To make the building look more like a Catholic Church at the request of Father Thomas Collins. The new church was named the Church of the Little Flower. The Altar Society, formed in August 1947, furnished a new rectory. The Rectory was also designed by Parsons and built to the east Vassar and Wells. With a seating capacity of 200, the first mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday, 1948. Confessions were heard in the furnace room. Some upgrades were made in 1960. The last mass at the church was celebrated 30 years after the first mass, on July 1st, 1978, after which Little Flower church moved to the corner of Kietzke and Plumb Lanes. The church and the rectory buildings were purchased from the Church of Little Flower by local businessman Sidney Stern in 1983. Mr. Stern's son opened a bar on the main floor called the Vassar Wells Club. Downstairs in the basement was a Spaghetti Factory restaurant. A few years later Mr. Stern again transformed the building, this time into a bank. A vault and drive-up window were added features. A complete remodel was done to resemble an old-fashioned bank. Mr. Stern included many of his own antiques when furnishing the inside of the bank. He added wooden teller windows and replaced the steeple with the clock tower. Mr. Stern ran the building as Nevadas First Thrift Savings and Loan until U.S. Bank purchased the building in 1998. U.S. Bank has maintained the historic structure and interior of the building. This former military chapel, one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings in Reno, has become the pride of the Wells Avenue neighborhood.