News

Two previously unknown Paul R. Williams’ buildings in Nevada have been discovered through queries sent to the Paul R. Williams website. In 2010 homeowner Valerie Santos of Lovelock, Nevada contacted the Paul R. Williams Project concerning her midcentury ranch-style home. Family tradition had attributed the design to Paul R. Williams and she was interested in any information about the architect’s work and life in Nevada. Santos also shared information about a motel located next door to her home.  The Lovelock Inn, a classic period motel, was also a William’s design. The two buildings had been built for Mr. and Mrs. William A. Tharpe, wealthy “tax refugees” who moved from Indiana to Nevada in the 1940s.

A project team went to Lovelock for extensive interviews with the current owners and to photograph the buildings. Images and a brief history for each building are now posted on the Paul R. Williams website.  These “lost” buildings have created excitement in the Nevada preservation community. Architectural historian Mella Rothwell Harmon (Krautz Environmental Consultants) will be reporting on the discoveries for a preservation journal.