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Charles Kuralt wrote the foreword in the book Our Governor's Mansions by Cathy Keating, Mike Brake and Patti Rosenfeld. In it he said, "Most of us want to see a roof over our governors' heads, but if the roof leaks, we don't want to pay much to fix it." It seems that this was the case for Nevada's Mansion. Over the years, the building became quite dilapidated and was in need of serious repair when Governor Paul Laxalt took office in 1967. At that point a decision had to be made about whether to renovate the existing structure or tear it down and build a new Governor's Mansion.
This large hall is known as the Nevada Room and is a wonderful place to have indoor parties. It has a full service kitchen that rivals that of any restaurant and is able to comfortably seat up to 165 guests. The room is decorated in the colors of the Nevada state flag and has displays containing different minerals from around the state. There are vintage photographs of Mark Twain, Sarah Winnemucca and the Comstock mining boom, as well as photos of all of Nevada's First Ladies. There is also a wonderful collection of photos of Nevada outhouses hanging in the men's restroom.
Just in front of the
staircase is a large, ornate candelabra that is part of the Mackay silver
collection on loan from the Keck Mining Museum. More
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In
1907 the Nevada Legislature appropriated $25,000 to build a home for the
Governor. Up until that time, most governors lived in their homes in or
around Carson City and commuted to the state capitol to do their business.
One of the reasons that it took so long to build a governor's mansion
was because the legislature thought it might be seen as some sort of aristocratic
distinction. Perhaps that was a common notion as very few western states
has a Governor's Mansion. 
The
Laxalts decided to renovate the mansion and raised over $250,000. This
was combined with a $78,000 appropriation from the legislature and the
funds were used to rearrange some interior rooms, enlarge the kitchen,
extend the porches, and build a garage. In addition, an interior designer
who was an expert in Colonial Williamsburg design and a friend of Governor
Laxalt donated his time to select $22,000 worth of colonial antique furniture
and reproductions for the mansion. 
Thirty
years later, it became necessary to undertake another major renovation
of Nevada's Mansion. The busy entertainment schedule kept by the Governors
and their wives took its toll on the mansion interior and furnishings.
Each time an event was held, the furniture had to be moved to the basement
or upstairs so that there would be enough space for the invited guests.
So Governor Miller and his wife Sandy decided it would be appropriate
to build a large meeting room adjacent to the mansion that could handle
the rigorous entertainment schedule. 
Because
the Nevada Room was built on the site of the garage that was constructed
in 1967, a new garage was erected on the south side of the mansion. In
addition, the mansion was brought up to ADA code and received an interior
facelift. The end result featured a sophisticated color scheme throughout
the mansion as well as updates to the furnishings and fixtures. Upon entering
the mansion through the thick white Colonial doors one sees the grand
staircase that leads to the second floor of the mansion. At the top of
the stairs is a large mirror that reflects the 56" cut crystal Maria
Theresa chandelier. Prior to 1967, this mirror used to be a window that
looked out on a sleeping porch. This area was enclosed and a bedroom was
added during the 1967 renovation.