Ye Old Printing Office
Here’s a rare find from the U.S. Treasury web site where they list old buildings affiliated with the country’s mints, past and present. As most northern Nevadans know, Carson City had a federal mint to process Comstock Lode silver mined during the late 1800s; today the Mint is the Nevada State Museum. Less that a mile south (as the crow flies) is the old State Printers building whose architecture is said to mimic the U.S. mint:
Old Nevada State Printing Office, Carson City, designed by M.J. Curtis and S.Pisley. The tall arched windows, rough-faced stone, and gable roofs demonstrate its affinities with the Mint. The Old Printing Office and Capitol are closely related to Mullet’s branch mint: all three are organized around a central rectangular mass with projecting wings, employ gabled roofs and rough-faced stone, and utilize tall, narrow windows.
Today this is the south annex of the Nevada State Library and Archives. The bottom floor holds an art gallery for roaming exhibits and a room for the State Constitution, and the top floor has offices for the State Historic Preservation Office, as well as the University of Nevada, Reno, field office.
When we first moved to Carson many moons ago we lived in the Greenlaw house for quite a while. Being history maniacs we researched all the people who lived in the house we had purchased. Mr Greenlaw was superintendent of schools and worked at the old school at King and Nevada Streets.
Later,it was occupied by Fred Trimmer, a printer at the State Printing Office
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The LUKE GREENLAW House
212 South Minnesota Street Carson City, Nevada
The land was first subdivided in 1866. This lot was purchased by JUDSON WARNER and GEORGE MUNCTON, who were pharmacists. Their shop was on Carson Street opposite the Capitol. They never built a house on the land.
In 1873, after the death of Warner, the property was sold to LUKE S. and MARY J. GREENLAW for $250.
The house was built in 1874 in the cabin style (plank walls) by the Greenlaws. It has no foundation and no framing. Luke Greenlaw was elected County Superintendent of Schools and moved here from Empire to be close to his work. (The county building where he worked was located on the southwest corner of Musser and Carson Streets.)
The Greenlaws lived here until 1888, and sold the house for $750.
Several other County Officials have lived here over the years, including FRED TRIMMER in the late 19-teens - Printer at the State Printing Office; JOHN and MARY McGILLIS in the early 1920’s - they ran the County Hospital and Poor Farm (after John’s death, Mary was the first woman appointed to such a post); FLORENCE and WALTER AUSTIN in the 1930’s - Walter was County Sheriff. In the 1990’s it was occupied by a County Planning Commissioner and her husband.
The name of the 2nd builder of the Carson City mint was Seymour PIXLEY (not Pisley). His daughter Emma was the 2nd wife of MJ CURTIS who also built Morrill Hall at the University of Nevada Reno campus, the first university building. MJ Curtis was a prominent architect and built other other Nevada buildings as well.
May it also be known M.J. Curtis was Morrill Joseph Curtis. It is appearing in other reports and news articles as Morrill John which is Erroneous and reckless reporting. Morrill Joseph Curtis was in fact a prominent Architect in Nevada. It is true his father in law was Seymour Pixley. Morrill Joseph Curtis was my Great Grandfather. His son, Elbert Dean Curtis, my grandfather.
[…] Looking east from the Capital dome and probably the late 1960s or early 1970s judging from the cars. The dome dominating this picture is the Capital Annex and it housed the State Library. The building to the left was home to the state employees’ insurance agency for decades and the building to the lower right served many state and county offices including the State Printer. I think the white building on the upper right was part of the State Veterans Housing Complex. Above that far off in the distance is Nevada State Prison. […]