The Reno Arch is an iconic landmark in Reno, Nevada spanning Virginia Street at the intersection with Commercial Row. This current arch is the third installed at this location.
The original arch (made of steel) was built in 1926 to promote the Nevada Transcontinental Highway Exposition that ran from July 25 to August 1, 1927, which celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways. After the exposition, the city council decided to keep the arch as a permanent downtown gateway and announced a contest to find a slogan to replace the exposition lettering on the arch. G. A. Burns of Sacramento won $100 for his slogan, “Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World.” The slogan first appeared on the arch on June 25, 1929 along with an illuminated torch on both sides of the city name. In 1963, the original steel arch (which is now located located on Lake Street, just south of the Truckee River) was replaced by a larger arch with plastic panels, a rotating star, and an attached inverted arch below the “RENO” lettering for the slogan “Biggest Little City in the World”. The third and current version seen above was installed by YESCO in 1987. If the Reno Arch looks familiar to you, it would not be a surprise as it has been seen in many movies which are set in Reno, such as Kingpin, Waking up in Reno, and Sister Act , all of which feature the Reno arch prominently as it is an icon for Reno newcomers. Many shows and activities, such as Hot August Nights, are held under the arch. The arch is also seen in the video game Fallout 2 located on Virgin Street in the town of New Reno.
