The site of the former state Children’s Home on March 10, where plans call for two office buildings and a parking garage.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
Plans to demolish the boarded-up cottages on state-owned land along East Fifth Street — between Stewart and Roop streets — signify the beginning stages of a larger project involving two new office buildings for Carson City.
This month, the state of Nevada solicited bids for demolition of the cottages (referred to as the Northern Nevada Children’s Home) at 711 E. Fifth St. The estimated construction cost of the base bid was $475,000, according to a legal notice.
“Demolition will consist of all buildings and associated structures at the Northern Nevada Children's Home site,” the Nevada Department of Administration said in a statement. “This would include remediation of all known asbestos and lead-containing building materials as well as demolition of the building structures and foundations. The project also includes removal of all non-ADA compliant flat work around the site and removal of the tennis courts.”
Work is expected to begin in June, the department said.
“The state is currently requesting funding from the Legislature through Capital Improvement Project (CIP) 25-P08 to design two office buildings and a parking structure in this area. A separate construction funding request is planned in the 2027 legislative session,” according to the department.
In February, the state presented a preliminary layout of the project to lawmakers in the current session.
“Please keep in mind that this is subject to change. We do not have more detail to share at this point but look forward to future discussions as this project gets underway,” the department said.
The layout shows two three-story office buildings on either side of the property, straddling a three-story, 350-space parking garage.
The project is listed in the “Governor’s Recommended Capital Improvement Program 2025-2027,” which is available online: leg.state.nv.us/Session/83rd2025/Budgets/Official%20CIP%202025-27.pdf.
Categorized as a planning project, the project’s design phase was estimated to cost $6.23 million. Construction costs were estimated to be $105.45 million.
“This project will provide advance planning through construction documents for two office buildings, a parking garage, and surface parking for Buildings and Grounds to rent to state agencies,” states the CIP document. “State agencies in Carson City are currently located in leased space throughout Carson City. Consolidation to a centralized location on state-owned property promotes work efficiency and savings to the state.”
The site has been occupied by the Boys and Girls Club, Division of Family Services and the state Children's Home, according to the CIP document.
The Department of Administration confirmed the historic gym in the southwest corner of the property will remain.
The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office website provides a brief history of the site:
“The Nevada Orphans’ Asylum, a privately funded institution, was opened in Virginia City in 1864 by the Daughters of Charity. By 1870, most of its functions were taken over by the Nevada State Orphans’ Home at Carson City, authorized in 1869 by the Legislature and constructed on this site. The first child was admitted Oct. 28, 1870.
“In 1903, the first building gave way to a larger one, constructed of sandstone from the state prison quarry east of Carson City. This edifice served until 1963 as Nevada’s home for dependent and neglected children. In 1951, its name was changed to the Nevada State Children’s Home. The stone building was in turn replaced in 1963, in accordance with the modern concept of family-sized groups housed in cottages. The facility closed in 1992.”
According to the Appeal’s archives, the remaining gym was built circa 1897 and became the focus of historical preservation efforts in the early 21st century — a way to commemorate the children who once called the site home.