Spur to be remodeled into casino and micro-brewery

The Lucky Spur, closed and dark in downtown Carson City for 20 years, will be developed by a Carson City group into a sports-themed casino and micro-brewery.

Michael Stewart, of Alpine Drafting Service, said Friday he and his partner, Scott Johnson, plan to keep the name Lucky Spur and refurbish the historic casino's signs. He said the idea is not just a casino and bar but "a well rounded destination point for both families and individuals."

"We will not duplicate Bully's," said Johnson.

They said the plan includes a restaurant and a games area for both younger people and adults. They hope to feature outdoor patio dining behind the Spur on Curry Street.

The two, operating as Stew's Corp., have signed a contract to purchase the Spur from George Halyak, who has owned the property since 1990.

"This should really bring up the area," Halyak said. "I think everybody will see benefit from this."

Johnson said they will take the project to Carson City's Community Development office as soon as their engineer is ready with the plans.

"We want their input on this as well," he said. "If we get everybody involved, it'll just get better."

He said reopening the Spur should help the entire downtown area draw more business.

Stewart, 38, said work will begin on the building in the next week or two. Since most of the interior has already been removed, he said, the job of remodeling will be much simpler.

"It's not going to be too hard a job and it's a lot less money than if we started from scratch," he said.

He said plans are to be open for business in time for Nevada Day Oct. 31. They expect to employ 30-40 people serving lunch and dinner.

Johnson, who worked a number of years at Adele's restuarant, will handle the food service-restaurant portion while Stewart manages the other parts of the operation. They said they intend to hire a brewmaster to run the micro-brewery.

"Since I've been here, everybody's focused on tourists," said Johnson, 35. "We want to focus on locals because tourists come and go but locals come and stay."

They said funding for the project is coming from both of their families, all longtime Carson residents.

Halyak said the necessary licenses and paperwork were filed to ensure the Spur is grandfathered in as a casino and won't be required to build 100 rooms to meet a new city code.

He described the Spur as one of Carson City's oldest commercial structures.

"It was the largest casino in town in the 1950s," he said.

But the building closed as a casino in the mid-1970s.

When it reopens, it will be formally known as "The Lucky Spur featuring Stew's Sportatorium," a word Johnson and Stewart admit they made up.

The building, according to Carson assessor's records, was built in 1936. Halyak said that's not correct, that the original structure is much older and shows up in some historic photos that date back to the turn of the century.