It has housed lawyers, lawmakers, judges, and Supreme Court Justices over the years, and it still represents an era of elegance and prosperity in Carson City. The Beck, Barber, Belknap House typifies the Second Empire Architecture. It has a Mansard roof with arched hooded dormers and rambling naturalized gardens that give it Old World charm and make you wonder what’s inside.

Built in 1875 by Oscar Barber of the general merchandise company of Gillison and Barber, this two-story wood-frame home has Douglas Fir floors that were originally built for wall-to-wall carpeting. It is a house of distinction that has been a home to many notable Nevadans. Over the years, two different State Supreme Court Justices, a State Assemblyman, a State Attorney General, a Justice of the Peace and an attorney have owned it.

In addition to being listed on both the Department of Interior's and the State of Nevada’s Registers of Historic Places, the house has a number of added curiosities. It boasts of its own bomb shelter, and in the 1960’s the grounds included an 80-foot short-wave radio tower that was used during the Vietnam conflict. The tower has since been removed. But the bomb shelter, which was built as a model in hopes of generating business, is now covered with ivy and is incorporated into the home’s landscaping.

The Beck, Barber, Belknap House is currently owned by Peter J. Smith and Patricia Cooper-Smith who have updated such elements of the residence as its plumbing and interior colors. But, they have gone to great lengths to restore and maintain the historic home in its original style.