The Reef, Reno, CA (hotel)

Name:The Reef
Type:hotel
Street:567 West 4th Street
City:Reno
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Hotel and Casino in operation during the mid 1970s

I noticed this ashtray on a Casino site

So I looked up the address on Google Street View
and found this:

Really cool facade! [orig comment I made, thinking that this obviously Tiki Style little motel was the Reef. Note Kenbo's excellent research below that the larger bland building was in fact The Reef]

http://www.tikiaosis.com

[ Edited by: Otto 2017-10-03 12:24 ]

Otto,

I admire your new found enthusiasm for posting long lost treasures on Tiki Central! Keep up the good work.

This one, however, has been found before. It had lived it's previous Tiki life as the Tropics Inn with a smashing Tiki Torch sign before its tikidevolution to the state that we see today.

Here is the thread on TC.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34084&forum=2&hilite=reno

DC

And while we are at it, where did the Reef Casino reference apply to this address? It seems to have always been a motel. The Reef must have been from some where else.

I spent one hot July day in Reno and shot many of the old motel signs, including the Crest. You can see my work here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=45661&forum=6&hilite=reno

DC

The ashtray must have the address on it -- perhaps on the back or bottom? 567 W 4th Street is NOT the Tropics Inn / Crest Inn though. It's actually this much less interesting high-rise building next door.

I was able to learn a few things about it. The Reef opened in January 1974 as the original tenant in the building and was both a hotel and casino -- although there were periods during which the casino was not operated. The Reef had several ownership changes during its five years. It closed in April 1979.

The building has been lots of things since:

Golden Resort Hotel & Casino (1980 - 1981)
The Pearl ('80s)
Cheers (late '80s, early '90s)
Royal Residence
Ramada Inn
Howard Johnson
Sierra Vista Towers (apartments)

I found this 1988 photo on the internet showing the end of its Pearl days.

Thanks Otto and Dustycajun for your posts, this is what I come to TC for.

Can remember meeting Otto for the first time at the last night Kahiki party.
I asked him about the Witco I had just found and he told me all about witco
even have that on Video.

Back in 2000 we did not know of tiki, Witco it was just the Kahiki to us, tiki was a word
we did not use.

Tiki News, the book Tiki Quest, and Sven's book that we saw for the first time at that party were like WHAT! There's more out there?
Bought every Tiki News the Kahiki gift shop had.
Man you never hear of Tiki quest on TC, I think that one was before book of Tiki.
Have post it notes on my Tiki quest and the prices the mugs went for on eBay.

Kahiki was dyeing before the news it was going to be torn down, sure there was still
folks that went there for birthdays ect but the place got VERY busy after people found out it was going away for good.

Wonder if there was not a few people throwing gas on the few folks love of tiki
if tiki would be as big as it got after the Kahiki went down.
Or if the word tiki would be thrown around as it is now.

Do know that I would have never started making as many lights and going to events, how would you even know about events without TC and or Tiki news.

So thanks again for your efforts.

Skipster, not to be a stickler (but I fear I am), the BOT came out the year of Otto's Kahiki Farewell party, in September 2000. I had one advance copy at the party, but the rush shipment of 100 copies for the event was stuck at customs in Columbus. Duke's "Tiki Quest " came out in 2003.

Here are some news clippings about the Reef.

Jack Bedient (of "Double Whammy" fame) had a running gig at The Reef. He and his band had various residencies around Reno/Tahoe/Carson during the late 60s and early 70s. They recorded and album at Harold's Club, a few block away from The Reef, as well.

I found a mai tai glass a few months back as well. I'll post a photo of it when I get home.

[ Edited by Cavemoai on 2022-03-22 09:52:15 ]

And here are photos of the mai tai glass. I think Otto or PTD found a collins glass from The Reef as well quite a few years back...