This Thursday, March 8, 2018 photo shows the Nystrsom Guest House pictured in downtown Reno, Nev. The home is one of two historic homes a developer wants to relocate for a revitalization project. Built in 1875, it was one of the first boarding houses catering to divorce-seekers who helped make Reno the ''Divorce Capital of the World'' during the 1930s because of its lax residency laws. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)
The Associated Press
RENO, Nev. (AP) - 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.
In this Thursday, March 8, 2018 photo, a historical plaque is displayed on the outside of the Nystrsom Guest House in downtown Reno, Nev. The house is one of two historic homes a developer wants to relocate for a revitalization project. Built in 1875, it was one of the first boarding houses catering to divorce-seekers who helped make Reno the ''Divorce Capital of the World'' during the 1930s because of its lax residency laws. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)
The Associated Press
This Thursday, March 8, 2018 photo shows Borland-Clifford House in Reno, Nev. The house is one of two historic homes a developer wants to relocate for a revitalization project. It's next door to the Nystrom Guest House built in 1875, which was one of the first boarding houses catering two divorce-seekers who helped make Reno the ''Divorce Capital of the World'' during the 1930s. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)
The Associated Press