This Queen Anne structure is one of the best remaining representatives of the style in Reno. The splendid circular porch echoes the circular bay motif, adds a counterpoint of texture, and makes the total composition dramatic and unusual.

The Nortonia Boarding House appears to have been built between 1900 and 1904, probably by Mrs. Annie Rogers. In 1906, she sold the property to a man named Norton. Norton converted the building to multiple residential units and named it the Nortonia Boarding House.

Boarding houses were common in American cities at the beginning of the 20th century. They were often managed by widows and housed both transient and stable elements of the population who were either unwilling or unable to occupy individual homes.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP Nomination Form submitted in 1983.