Jack’s Bar in Carson City gutted; Bank Saloon will rise in its place

The Bank Saloon is now a hole in the wall, literally.

Renovation work has started on the former Jack’s Bar at 5th and Carson streets. The roof is gone as are the interior walls and the flooring.

“The demolition is complete,” said Aaron West, CEO, Nevada Builders Alliance, which purchased the property in June 2018. “The big thing was to attempt to salvage everything that we could out of there, the roof and floor and framing materials. We salvaged the doors and we’ll try to use or repurpose as much as possible. They may become, like, tables in the bar area.”

Next, the windows are coming out.

“We’ll see if we have to go with new windows or resuscitate what’s there,” said West.

From the outside, a wood support frame is visible, installed as a precaution to support the stone walls, said West.

Miles Construction, which restored the Bentley Heritage Distillery in Minden, is the construction contractor on the project.

Michael Drews, chair of the Historic Resources Commission, and director, Great Basin Consulting Group LLC, a cultural resource management consultant, was in the building Wednesday with Mark Giambastiani, excavating the dirt floor in search of artifacts.

They found mostly oyster shells, butchered bones, and glass from windows, bar glasses and bottles, and the top of a teapot, said Drews.

Outside excavation work is underway to replace the foundation. All utilities have to be connected to the building, too.

By the end of the year, the roof should be replaced. Then work can move inside for the winter.

“The goal is to get the roof on before the weather gets too crazy,” said West.

West said the project is on track to open the doors on the new Bank Saloon in January 2021.