The Lear Theater

It would be difficult to identify a building in Reno with greater architectural, historical, and cultural significance than what we know today as the Lear Theater.

Completed in 1939 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, the elegant structure has graced the north bank of the Truckee River at 501 Riverside Drive for more than 80 years. And yet its story has become one of repeatedly dashed hopes for its renovation and revitalization.

This online resource was assembled in 2020, when the building was back in the public eye with the announcement that its owner, the nonprofit organization Artown, was considering a new proposal to restore it. That proposal was not pursued, and in September of 2021 the Reno City Council approved the City’s purchase of the church building and adjacent parking lot from Artown for a total of $875,000.

It is our hope that the materials posted here can continue as a valuable resource, helping the community to understand what makes this building so significant, what protections are in place to preserve that significance, and what any new plan for it should keep in mind.

In this resource

• The Lear Theater — How a 1939 church by Paul Revere Williams became Reno’s Lear Theater.
• Before the Lear and the Church of Christ, Scientist — The Royal D. Hartung Home for Orphans and Foundlings, which stood on the site.
• Paul Revere Williams and His Legacy — The architect, and the national recognition his work has since received.
• Paul Revere Williams — Buildings in Reno — The four confirmed Williams designs in Reno.
• Timeline: Major Developments for the Lear — 1938 to 2020, year by year.
• The Aristocratic Riverside Avenue Driveway, 1888–2020 — Reno’s loveliest boulevard, and the repeated attempts to close it.
• Historic Covenants on the Lear — The agreements recorded on the title, binding through 2060.
• Preserving the Integrity of the Lear Building — The six aspects of integrity the building still retains.
• Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines — The ten rehabilitation standards any work must follow.
• The Future of the Lear — Where the building stands now, and what any new plan should keep in mind.

Further reading

• Lear Legacy on the Line (Reno News & Review, January 2021)
• Preserve Nevada writes to the Historical Resources Commission (letter, January 2020, PDF)