Riverside Artists Lofts

A historic hotel renovated as 35 low-income housing units for artists today stands in what was the most blighted area of Reno’s Virginia Street. This key re-development project would never have happened without the tenacity of Sierra Arts Foundation, Sheehan VanWoert Bigotti Architects and Q&D Construction. Q&D estimators faced the dual edge sword of satisfying costly historic preservation guidelines while creating inexpensive housing. Even after intensive value engineering, the project remained $300,000 over budget. But Q&D was not willing to admit defeat, and identified water rights the property could sell to solve the shortfall.

At Reno’s annual Business and the Arts luncheon, Q&D was awarded the distinguished Patron of the Year Award for the Riverside Artist’s Lofts. In giving the award, the Sierra Arts Foundation proclaimed that “If not for Q&D, the project would never have been completed.”

SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

Q&D crews gutted the hotel to its historic brick shell. Then to give the building structural integrity, they lined the brick walls with rebar and sprayed them with Shotcrete. The walls were troweled smooth to create the finished walls.

FINISH HIGHLIGHTS

Following the completion of the artists’ lofts, Q&D completed Sierra Arts Foundation’s first-floor gallery and offices in the building. Q&D came to the rescue again when Sierra faced budget shortfalls. We agreed to complete the construction of the tenant improvement and withhold requests for payment until a few months after they took occupancy so they had time to sell their old property.