MacKay School of Mines Building - University of Nevada, Reno
N 39° 32.358 W 119° 48.865
11S E 258136 N 4380409
This historic building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and is located in the northern part of The Quad in the heart of the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
Waymark Code: WMJYWK
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 01/18/2014
Views: 1
The Mackay School of Mines Building is now known today as the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and also home to the DeLaMare Library and the W.M. Keck Museum. The following comes from the NPS.gov
website that describes the history of this building and reads:
William S. Richardson, of the prominent New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White, designed the Mackay School of Mines Building in the Georgian Revival architectural style in 1906. Built by Northwestern Construction Company, the original configuration for the building was U-shaped, enclosing an open-ended atrium. The front section of the building was laid with Flemish-bond brick and features a two-story portico with four monumental Tuscan columns of Indiana limestone, and a white mosaic tile ceiling under the portico. In 1926, Frederic DeLongchamps undertook a remodeling project, adding a second story and enclosing the atrium. He also added the present copper-sheathed hipped roof and skylights.
The Mackay family funded construction of this building in honor of Comstock Lode "King" John Mackay, an Irish immigrant, who made a fortune in the Comstock mining boom. At the time of his death, John Mackay's estate was worth at least $30,000,000. Mackay's son, Clarence, provided funding for the building and its later remodeling. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, of Mount Rushmore fame, designed the cast bronze statue of John Mackay located at the front of the School of Mines. The Mackay School of Mines is one of the major schools of mines in the county and the building also houses the Geology Museum, established in 1906. The collections, which also include Mackay family silver, are extremely valuable to the history of mining in Nevada and the American West. They are in constant use for teaching and research.
This building still looks the same today as it did when it was erected based off older pictures I've seen. The building was closed and I wasn't able to tour the inside of the building but I've read that it contains a mezzanine floor and murals as well. There is a statue of John William Mackay for who this building is named after that stands in front of the building and also was erected in 1908, the same year as the opening date of this building.