Nevada Governor's Mansion
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The Nevada Governor's Mansion is the
official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
of the
governor of Nevada A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
and his family. Reno architect George A. Ferris designed this
Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...
(Neoclassical) style
mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
. It is listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. and


History

The Governor's Mansion of the State of Nevada was built between 1908 and 1909. Until that time, Nevada's governors and their families found lodging where they could in or near Carson City, the capital. State Assembly Bill 10, the "Mansion Bill," was passed in 1907 to secure a permanent site and residence for a Governor's Mansion. Mrs. T.B. Rickey sold the land where the mansion now stands to the State of Nevada for $10, and George A. Ferris, a Reno architect, designed the mansion with Classical Revival features and Georgian and Jeffersonian motifs, and a construction bid was awarded for $22,700. Acting Governor Denver S. Dickerson and his family were the first residents when they occupied the mansion in July 1909. The building was first opened to the public during an open house on New Year's Day, 1910. The governor's daughter, June Dickerson, was born in the mansion on September 2, 1909, and is the only child yet born in the mansion. The mansion was at the center of a legal dispute resulting from the divorce case of Governor Jim Gibbons and his now-former wife
Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...
. Several months before filing a divorce petition in May 2008, the Governor moved out of the mansion, returning to the couple's private residence in Reno. Upon filing for divorce, he filed a petition seeking his wife's eviction from the mansion, citing state law which requires that the Governor maintain his or her home and office in the state capital. Mrs. Gibbons challenged that petition, citing a desire to continue fulfilling her duties as First Lady and instead offering to live in the mansion's guest house, which would allow her husband to live separately in the main house. Furthermore, her attorney also cited state law which allows divorcing couples to divide equally anything of value enjoyed by both parties until the divorce is finalized. After their divorce, Governor Gibbons moved back into the mansion, and Dawn Gibbons relocated to an apartment in Las Vegas.


References

{{Authority control Governors' mansions in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada National Register of Historic Places in Carson City, Nevada Government buildings in Nevada Neoclassical architecture in Nevada Nevada State Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1909 Government buildings completed in 1909 Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada Houses in Carson City, Nevada