In the beginning of the year, it became known that local real estate developer Silverwing Development bought the historic Immaculate Conception Church on 590 Pyramid Way in Sparks.
The brick building was constructed in 1932 by famed Nevadan architect Frederic DeLongchamps who is also known for erecting the State Capitol in Carson City, Riverside Hotel in Reno, and the Washoe County Library System Sparks branch. DeLongchamps graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1904 with a degree in mining engineering. He went on to build more than 500 prominent structures in the State of Nevada during his career.
The Immaculate Conception Church was added to the National Historic Register of Historic Places in 1992 and is/was the oldest surviving Catholic church in Sparks, its architecture mirroring a Mediterranean Revival style.
However, Immaculate Conception has sat vacant since the Catholic church moved its congregation to 2900 McCarran Way in Sparks in the early 2000s. That same decade, ownership of the former church changed hands at least three times.
Now owned by Silverwing, the building faces teardown when it became known that the City of Sparks issued the developer a demolition permit from its Building and Safety Department on December 28, 2021. The permit is valid until June of this year. The cost of the permit was $1,545.39.
“Regarding that historic building, since it is in the historic registry, we did factor that in when issuing the permit,” says City of Sparks Community Relations Manager Julie Duewel. “We love this building too and it is historic, but it would take a lot of retroactive work to make it functional again and being on that registry is not a valid enough reason to not issue a permit,” she adds. Silverwing Development did indicate that it may use the property to build more housing, but the City of Sparks has not yet received an application for any of its plans.
Silverwing has built several apartment complexes in Sparks including The Bridges, DECO, and Fountainhouse in Victorian Square, as well as a few living spaces in Reno. The Immaculate Conception Church building is located less than a mile away from Victorian Square.
Representatives at Silverwing could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
