Historic Nevada divorce house may be moved for redevelopment

Built in 1875, the Nystrom Guest House served as a divorce boarding house during a time when divorce-seekers flocked to Nevada from around the U.S. because of its lax residency requirements. (Photo By JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

RENO, Nev. — A developer wants to relocate two historic houses that lie in the path of its revitalization project in downtown Reno, including one that played a key role in the city’s emergence in the 1930s as the “Divorce Capital of the World.”

Officials for Jacobs Entertainment Inc. say they want to preserve the homes on the National Register of Historic Places, so they’re seeking permits to move them instead of resorting to the wrecking ball.

Built in 1875, the Nystrom Guest House served as a divorce boarding house during a time when divorce-seekers flocked to Nevada from around the U.S. because of its lax residency requirements.

More than 32,000 divorces were granted in Washoe County from 1929 to 1939, a time when the county seat, Reno, had a population of 18,000.