The History of Tahoe Tavern

The internationally famous Tahoe Tavern was built in 1901. The Tahoe Tavern was designed by Walter Danforth Bliss for the Duane Bliss family. Walter Bliss was also the architect for the Ehrman Mansion; this explains why the two structures are similar in appearance.

In 1906 a 60 room annex south of the main hotel was built. A second floor was added in 1907 that included a casino with bowling alley, novelty and barbershops, and a ballroom with stage.

Other construction projects in 1907 made the Tavern an almost self-sustaining entity with a physician's office, a laundry, a steam plant and a water system, which brought piped water from above Tahoe City.

In 1925, a $250,000 "luxurious, elegant" new wing was added. The casino also added the bar the same year and in 1926, the coffee shop, sundeck and pleasure pier with rocked-in boat wells were built. With the advent of automobiles, it was necessary to add garages, which were constructed in 1927, along with tennis courts and a livery stable.

One could, upon arriving in Truckee on the mainline railroad, transfer to the narrow gauge line and travel to the Tavern in Tahoe City for $1.50. You would ride the passenger car, which was behind the ever-present freight cars. After dropping its passengers at the Tavern station, the train would go out on the long Tavern pier to meet the Steamer "Tahoe", which made the daily mail run around the lake in eight hours.

In the '20s and '30s the ballroom was turned into a motion picture theater. The movies were the first talkies, mostly war movies and westerns.

Besides the luxurious facilities, activities were planned to keep wealthy guests busy. With the building of the pier, the Venetian Carnival, a boat carnival, was held for the fourth of July. The Tavern pier was decorated to resemble a Venetian bridge and the gardens were decorated with paper Japanese lanterns, the pier was flagged and the launches - several of them - were outfitted with music and flags.

The Tahoe Tavern burned down in the 1960s. After the fire the structure was torn down. The Moana Development Corporation then purchased the property and constructed the present condominiums in three phases between 1966 and 1969.

Today the pool and rock stairway on the middle meadow stand as a reminder of the original historic Tahoe Tavern.

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This document last modified Thursday, 12-Jun-2008 11:16:39 PDT