Reno Arch, Reno

The Reno Arch is an iconic landmark in Reno, Nevada spanning Virginia Street at the intersection with Commercial Row. The current arch is the third installed at this location. The original arch was built in 1926 to commemorate the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways. The current arch was installed in 1987 and retrofitted with new lights in 2009. The arch is a prominent feature of downtown Reno, and for most of its history has featured the city's motto, The Biggest Little City in the World.HistoryThe first Arch was built in 1926 to promote the Nevada Transcontinental Highway Exposition that ran from July 25 to August 1, 1927, which celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways. Through Nevada, these routes were built along the corridors of modern U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 80, respectively. After the exposition, the city council decided to keep the arch as a permanent downtown gateway. The council announced a contest find a slogan to replace the exposition lettering on the arch. G. A. Burns of Sacramento won $100 for his slogan, "Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World." The slogan first appeared on the arch on June 25, 1929 along with an illuminated torch on both sides of the city name. In 1934, some residents complained about the new slogan and it was replaced with a green neon "RENO"; however, after the ensuing backlash over its removal, the slogan returned with new lettering as well as the removal of the torches. In 1963, the original steel arch was replaced by larger arch with plastic panels, a rotating star, and an attached inverted arch below the "RENO" lettering for the slogan "Biggest Little City in the World". The third and current version was installed by YESCO in 1987.