Reno is beefing up its Burner infrastructure, with a new hotel targeted towards the Burning Man community.
Next door to the Reno Gospel Mission on East Fourth Street, bricks are beginning to fall off the edges of the 84-year-old Morris Hotel. Residents, most of whom have been living there for a dozen years or more, rely on the breeze that comes through their windows for air conditioning, and use hallway outlets to plug in a TV or radio.
The rules in the lobby for residents must be followed: No visitors during the day or night, and no cooking allowed.
Jim Gibson is about to change all of that.
Gibson has bought the Morris Hotel, planning attractive and affordable lodging to stay for tourists, travelers, locals – and especially Burners.
“This hotel will become a piece of art and there will be performances, like fire spinners, behind the building.” Gibson said.
Gibson plans to call it the Burner Hotel.
“It was a fluke,” Gibson said, on why he bought the property. “I’m retired and I’m comfortable with my life. It was an opportunity and it just happened.”
Gibson previously worked for Diablo Industries in Minden. He said he’s looking for help from the community in re-purposing the hotel: the old, red oak floorboards in the hallways need repainting; public bathrooms need cleaning, and more.
Gibson said he wants to keep the vintage feel of the building.
Dave Aiazzi, a Washoe County School Board member, is giving Gibson a hand with the hotel’s rejuvenation. Aiazzi said the dirt lot behind the hotel could be used for performances, movie nights and art projects. He imagines a gate would surround the lot and plenty of shade would be available.
“It’s going to be good for the whole area,” Aiazzi said.
Pingback: The Art of Giving | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
Pingback: NADAgras at the Burner | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
Pingback: Reno Gazette Journal covers Pershing County Cops Settlement | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
gee how trendy cute, the burner hotel. i’ve stayed at the morris several times over the years. always found it clean, well maintained and very affordable. hey, mr. gibson, do you plan to find equally affordable housing for the many low end pensioners who have called the morris their home for years?
Being part of this project I learning so much, it is a lot of work to build something like this and it is very new to all of us because this is very new, this days I’m back in the south and I’m following every day about the way that things change at the Morris. Many many volunteers coming everyday because we all want to be part of it, the back yard is one of my favorite and so far the parties we did there was awesome.
Rooms start getting painted and more artist applying for more art rooms. I’m planning to be back in Reno soon and I looking forward to see what is happening there.
please stop by and give a big hug to the man who called Jungle Jim, he doing it for us.
Thanks peace and Love.
Vision
So this guys wants to kick out all these residents, build a hotel just for burners, who are only there for 2 days a year? Seems legit. The whole point of burning man (I think) is there are no burner hotels.