Carson City’s newest cocktail bar 'White House' to hold grand opening during Nevada Day Parade
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 10/24/2023 - 12:28pm
Event Date:
October 28, 2023 (All day)
The White House, Carson City’s newest cocktail bar, is a time capsule of Nevada history, and several years in the making.
The White House itself is a historic Victorian home located at the corner of Stewart and E. Telegraph streets, and was built in 1898.
Proprietor Travis Legatzke has always had an interest in local history. When not working on the historic house or spending time with his family, he can be found at the Carson City Historical Society where he serves as one of two vice presidents.
The walls of the house are a cross between a museum and an Americana art installation, with decorations ranging from vintage local photography, to gifted taxidermy, and Legatzke’s personal collection of art and antiques.
“We’re always looking for more,” Legatzke said. “If anyone has pre-1940s photos from the area they’d like to donate, we’d love to add them into the collection.”
The jewel of the house is the bar, which stood as the centerpiece in Carson City’s Adele’s until a fire closed the restaurant in 2019.
Charlie Abowd, the owner of Adele’s, gifted the bar to the White House.
“He was very gracious to allow some of his legacy to live on with us,” Legatzke said.
Inside the house are two bars, one in the front of the house and a second in the back, with seating in the front and a side room. The front and side yards of the property have been turned into an outdoor beer garden where Legatzke plans to host music and events.
There will also be a family-friendly patio alongside a rotating, permanent food truck installation in the parking lot next door.
Since 2022, Legatzke and Shannon Cord have turned the parking lot into the popular Downtown Vintage Market, which hosts pop-up markets throughout the summer and fall each weekend.
Legatzke hopes that with the market and the White House, others will invest in the area that he one day hopes will be known as the Vintage District.
“We fully intend to utilize the space as much as possible and work with the community and non profits in as many ways as we can,” Legatzke said. “We want to build out this whole block that has been unused for 10 years, that became blighted, and turn it back on for everyone else.”
Legatzke intends for the White House to become a main staple in Carson City as a gathering place for families, friends, and even political hopefuls.
“I envision this as a place where people can celebrate their big life moments; graduations, engagements, returning from the Army,” Legatzke said. “We want to become part of the fabric of Carson City.”
The naming of the White House was intentional, Legatzke said, not only due to its snowy exterior, but because he hopes it will become a stopping point for political hopefuls to have a drink with locals.
“We can also rent out rooms for legislators, lobbyists, local businesses, organizations, to hold business meetings,” Legatzke said. "Even if people disagree on politics, we want them to be able to sit down and have a beer together because it's the Nevada way."
Turning a historic home into a cocktail bar was not without its hiccups, which included bringing the property up to commercial code in order to operate.
“We really want to thank the city, the planning department, the building department, the fire and health departments, and the sheriff’s office; everyone has been so gracious and helpful in helping us achieve this dream,” Legatzke said. “I’ve had so many conversations with all of them over the past five years; this is a new concept to Carson, and we’ve done our best to give the city another great place to support and celebrate their life’s events.”
The grand opening will be held Saturday during the Nevada Day Parade, alongside the Nevada Day Fair and Market in the parking lot next door. Due to the holiday, the bar will be limiting the menu a bit, and will be rolling out their full cocktail menu the following week.
The Jacked Up band will be playing from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. outside on the patio, and there will be food trucks between the food trucks and the White House.
The Fair and Market is family-friendly and free to attend, and includes a kids’ chalk area, bubbles, face painting, over 50 vendors, and for adult beverages, grown ups can head next door for the Grand Opening of the White House.
The White House will be open Wednesday through Sunday, opening at 3 p.m. each day except Sunday, when the bar opens at 10 a.m.
To keep up to date with events and goings-on at the White House, you can follow them on Facebook here.
