Paul Laxalt State Building - Carson City, Nevada - Historic Redbrick Federal Building

Still referred to as the "Old Federal Building,'' the Paul Laxalt State Building was constructed in 1890~1891 at a cost of $134,605.53. Mifflin E. Bell, a respected public architect attached to the U.S. Treasury, was responsible for its distinctive Victorian design with Romanesque Revival attributes, a style common at the time for government facilities. The four-story, redbrick structure features a clock tower that is characteristic of 19th-century federal buildings.

When it first opened, the building housed all of the region's major federal offices, including the post office, federal courts, a branch of the U.S. Weather Bureau, and several other government agencies. The state had a U.S. District Judge presiding here until 1965, when the court moved to Reno. Postal services were curtailed here in 1970, and the building was deeded to the state the following year.

Since 1979, the building has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. It is the only remaining building of its type west of the Mississippi. Until the 1990s, it served as the Nevada State Library. However, it was not formally given its current name until 1999, when it was dedicated in honor of former Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt (1922~).

The Paul Laxalt State Building is located at 401 North Carson Street, Carson City, Nevada 89701-4221. It still functions as an office building, housing not only the publishing staff of Nevada Magazine on the first floor, but also the Nevada Commission on Tourism within the upper levels.