Twaddle Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Twaddle Mansion was built for rancher Ebenezer "Eben" Twaddle in Reno, Nevada
. The two story frame house was built in 1905 by contractor Benjamin Leon in the Colonial Revival style, an unusual choice for Nevada
, and executed with particular opulence.
The house features a richly ornamented first floor. The entry porch features clusters of Ionic
columns supporting a frieze and pediment. The curving porch extends around the house to the west, echoing the house's corner lot placement. The east side features an extensively decorated hooded window. The porch columns are linked by turned balusters. Corners are marked with two story Ionic pilasters. The second floor is more restrained in its detailing, almost to the point of relative austerity compared with the first. The house's windows are fitted with beveled glass. Eaves are supported by brackets interspersed with decorative relief over the second floor windows. The hipped roof is outfitted with small dormers with diamond-pane windows.
Eben Twaddle was a Reno-area rancher and was a six-term Reno city councilman, hospital administrator, school board representative and fire marshal. After the passage of liberalized divorce
laws in Reno, it became a temporary residence for applicants observing the mandatory local residence time for divorce. In 1927 the local six-month waiting period for a divorce was reduced to three months, and in 1931 it was further reduced to six weeks, greatly increasing the divorce trade in Reno.
The house later became a Baha'i religious center, and then was converted to commercial use. The Twaddle Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. Laurence Peter Digesti, a local Reno attorney, purchased the mansion in the 1990s and renovated the inside so that it now is The Digesti Law Firm LLP.
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. The two story frame house was built in 1905 by contractor Benjamin Leon in the Colonial Revival style, an unusual choice for Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and executed with particular opulence.
The house features a richly ornamented first floor. The entry porch features clusters of Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns supporting a frieze and pediment. The curving porch extends around the house to the west, echoing the house's corner lot placement. The east side features an extensively decorated hooded window. The porch columns are linked by turned balusters. Corners are marked with two story Ionic pilasters. The second floor is more restrained in its detailing, almost to the point of relative austerity compared with the first. The house's windows are fitted with beveled glass. Eaves are supported by brackets interspersed with decorative relief over the second floor windows. The hipped roof is outfitted with small dormers with diamond-pane windows.
Eben Twaddle was a Reno-area rancher and was a six-term Reno city councilman, hospital administrator, school board representative and fire marshal. After the passage of liberalized divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
laws in Reno, it became a temporary residence for applicants observing the mandatory local residence time for divorce. In 1927 the local six-month waiting period for a divorce was reduced to three months, and in 1931 it was further reduced to six weeks, greatly increasing the divorce trade in Reno.
The house later became a Baha'i religious center, and then was converted to commercial use. The Twaddle Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983. Laurence Peter Digesti, a local Reno attorney, purchased the mansion in the 1990s and renovated the inside so that it now is The Digesti Law Firm LLP.
External links
- Photographs of the Twaddle Mansion at the National Park Service's NRHP database
- www.digestilaw.com to view The Digesti Law Firm's web site