Can (or should) Jack's Bar be saved?

Don Lehr stuck a pocket knife into a bare wall inside Jack's Bar on South Carson Street. He drilled the knife tip into the material holding the sandstone wall together - at first it didn't look like he was going to get very far.

"You think this is concrete?" he asked while twisting the knife. "It's not."

In less than a minute the knife blade drilled an inch-deep hole into the wall.

"It's a rubble stone wall," said Lehr, co-owner of the Ormsby House and the historic Jack's Bar. He and Al Fiegehen operate Cubix Ormsby LLC, which is rebuilding the Ormsby house, the largest construction project on South Carson Street.

Lehr is a 76-year-old businessman who defines retirement as something you do when you want to die. Cubix Ormsby LLC is ready to let Jack's Bar retire, but public sentiment has been against it. The city's redevelopment manager wants to see the building put back into use, and believes it's possible, despite Lehr's assertions that one earthquake will bring it down.

The squat building on the corner of West Fifth and South Carson streets dates to 1899, according to Nevada State Archivist Guy Rocha. It was first known as the Bank Saloon but became Jack's Bar in 1966.

The building is in Carson City's historic district, which makes it a hard sell for demolition. It's also on the National Register of Historic Places. The marker is attached to the wall that is leaning south, which is evident to anyone stopped at the intersection. As it leans, sandstone at the base of the wall has begun to crumble onto the sidewalk.

Many wonder what will become of the famous local bar.

James Estes, the company's chief engineer, kicked off large flakes of sandstone from the wall and pointed to the cracks running up the south wall.

"We're scared it's going to fall and someone will be right there and get hurt and we'll get sued," the chief engineer said.

Inside the bar, Lehr rested his hands on the three-eighths of an inch of steel cable attached from the northern edge of the flooring to the interior of the southern wall. This cable is keeping that wall from heading even farther south, Lehr said.

Kevin Gattis, Carson City chief building official, said he knows the wall is leaning, but the problem is complicated by the bar's historic status. Public safety hazards must be addressed, but he says they're not at that stage with Jack's Bar yet. Gattis said a structural engineer needs to get involved.

In mid-2003, Lehr applied for a demolition permit. Since the building is in the historic district he made his case before the Carson City Historic Resources Commission. The meeting was well attended; many questions were asked. Lehr pulled the demolition permit soon afterward.

"We commissioned a seismic assessment, which says the building can be saved and it would cost a certain amount of money," said Joe McCarthy, city economic development and redevelopment manager. "In 2003 that was about $100,000 to stabilize the building and make it safe for use."

Lehr said he'll listen to ideas on how to repair the structure without demolishing it, but he doubts such a plan exists. For now his attentions are focused toward rebuilding the Ormsby House, which he declined to comment on. Lehr said he will have the money to work on Jack's Bar after the casino is completed.

To keep the floor from rotting, it was coated in tar, which is flaking off, along with the linoleum beneath it. The building has no foundation. The wiring sticks out. Clues hint at the musty building's past: an ad for Samuel Adams stuck on the front of an abandoned cooler, the number for Capital Cab posted on the wall.

"It's one thing to preserve history, but you got to do it where people are safe," Lehr said.

He said the sandstone rocks can be removed and restored after the building is demolished and rebuilt. He won't promise that Jack's Bar would live again at 418 S. Carson St., but he says it's a possibility.

McCarthy said this is the start of a good conversation with the preservation community.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.