Reno places considered for National Register - Photo

The East Fourth Street Historic District and the Aitken House on Mill Street are being considered for the National Register of Historic Places.

Reno City Council approved the nominations at its meeting on Wednesday. 

"We're really excited to have places in Reno recognized," said Megan Berner, Arts & Culture Manager, City of Reno.

To get on the National Register, places must be related to a historic event or series of events, a significant person, notable architecture, or valuable historic information. Both places fall under the first criteria.

The Aitken House gets its name from its original occupants, J.F. and Annie Aitken. It was built sometime between 1892 and 1904. J.F. Aitken died in 1905, and Annie later sold the house in 1919. Its new owners would give the house its historical significance.

"It was associated actually with Florence Crittenton and the mission, which was to serve women and children in need," Berner said. 

The building, then known as the Crittenton Home, provided housing, medical services, childcare, and counseling to single women and their children through the 1920s.

If you walk past the Aitken House, you'll probably see some construction going on there. The city said the private owners are doing interior renovations, and the new sidewalk is a city code related improvement.

The East Fourth Street Historic District's claim to fame is its transportation. The district -- which includes the Brewery District -- features historic railroad tracks which are still in use. Fourth Street was a major roadway as the Victory Highway and later U.S. Highway 40.

"There's a lot of history there from that transportation history to things like motels and gas stations and the industry that was built up around the railroad and the auto industry," Berner said.

U.S. 40, and therefore Fourth Street, was the main route through Reno until the mid-1970s, when the Nevada Department of Transportation completed Interstate 80 through the city.

Many of the district's buildings have been converted for modern use, such as the Depot Brewery.

The nominations will go before the Nevada Board of Museums and History for its approval, and finally the Keeper of the National Register for final review.

Reno City Council votes to approve nominations for the old Aitken House and the East Fourth Street District to the National Register of Historic Places