Developer has vision for Reno’s East Fourth Street

West Fourth Street and the Neon Line District grab more headlines, but revitalization work on the other side of Virginia Street is poised to bring new retail experiences to East Fourth Street.

Real estate redeveloper Josh Thieriot is as bullish as it gets about East Fourth Street. Thieriot owns multiple properties in the area and is currently renovating 903 E. Fourth St. Thieriot also plans to transform the expansive brick building across the street at 900 E. Fourth St. into an eatery and retail marketplace.

“There’s a ton of potential and history down here,” Thieriot said. “That’s what attracted me to this area, the history and the architecture.”

The building at 903 E. Fourth St. is 15,000 square feet, and a full renovation to modernize the structure is nearing completion. Downstairs will feature a restaurant, as well as The Block Climbing & Fitness, a bouldering and fitness training facility, which is expected to come online in the first quarter of next year. The restaurant, as well as some second-floor office space, is expected to come online in summer.

The vacant brick building across the street at 900 E. Fourth St., meanwhile, is a throwback to a bygone era of commercial construction. When it was built in the early half of the 1900s, the 15,000-square-foot building boasted the largest clear span of steel roof trusses in Nevada, Thieriot said.

“I bought this building because of the construction — I saw an opportunity,” he said. “I buy buildings that are unique and impossible to duplicate and show the pride that went into trades back in the day. I find it very intriguing to get a building like this that’s still standing and has a long history.”

Thieriot envisions 900 E. Fourth St. as a community gathering place for dining, drinks, music and shopping.

“We are going to have standalone retail, music, a restaurant, and a cafe,” Thieriot said. “There also will be two food truck pads outside that we will be able to change concepts after a month or three-month lease.

“We will probably have a dozen to 20 businesses here,” he added. “We will do a farmer’s market, music – there are a lot of different moving parts to this project.”

Due to its age and the lack of insulation, it’s been challenging to get the building to meet current energy usage requirements, Thieriot said. The building will receive a new facade, and all the single-pane windows will be replaced with energy-efficient models. Thieriot plans to repurpose the existing windows by incorporating them as interior walls and dividers.

The nine rows of glass block that extend two-thirds up the walls to the roofline and wrap the front of the building will be kept in place as well. Thieriot sourced two pallets of the original style and shape of glass blocks from a distributor in Los Angeles to replace broken ones.

“When we do these types of projects, we try to preserve as much of the original building as we can,” Thieriot said. “We leave the original components of the building exposed so people can appreciate how well things were built.

“We spent a lot of time designing to be energy efficient so we can leave the steel truss and roof exposed, which are really attractive,” he added. “And there were considerations given to energy efficiency when the building was built nearly 100 years ago. We intentionally staggered construction because this is a much bigger project,” Thieriot said. “I’m sure there will be a fair amount of discussion as to use and various compliance issues. The nice thing about this building is that it's a shell. Everything will be new, and lighting, electrical and sprinklers can be run in the trusses.

“Ideally, we finish 903 E. Fourth St., and while we are permitting and going through the contractor selection and budgeting for 900, we finish up the other projects we have going on because when this one starts it will be an all-hands-on-deck project.”

Thieriot said he’s just one player in the redevelopment efforts along East Fourth Street, which is home to countless local businesses, many of which have been in the same location for decades. The more buildings that are redeveloped will create a synergy that draws people and businesses to the area, he said.

“There are some challenges to East Fourth Street, but a lot of businesses see the potential,” Thieriot said. “There is a lot of improvement work going on down here.

“I have many real estate investments that are routine – Dutch Brothers, Sonics, and office buildings. They provide income but not a lot of excitement. Projects like this, where we take something that’s old and dilapidated and turn it into something new and vibrant while retaining its history, that’s what excites me.”