Lake Tahoe’s Cal Neva Lodge, a piece of Nevada’s gaming history for nearly a century, is going away in name only.
Colorado-based real estate investment firm McWhinney acquired the shuttered property that straddles the California-Nevada state line for an undisclosed price Friday and announced plans to “reimagine” the site in Crystal Bay on Tahoe’s north shore into a “modern leisure travel destination.”
According to a statement, the property, which has been closed for almost a decade, will be rebranded by California-based Proper Hospitality Group and the name Cal Neva will disappear.
In response to emailed questions, the McWhinney development team said, “While we will honor the history in the design, the property will become a Proper-branded resort.” The company said gaming would be included in future development plans.
McWhinney said the redevelopment of Cal Neva, which had roughly 200 hotel rooms when it closed, is in the “early, preliminary planning stages” and the company did not provide a budget. It said the goal is to reopen the resort in 2026, which would mark 100 years since the Cal Neva debuted.
In the past, tourists flocked to Cal Neva given its unique location between the two states. The California-Nevada dividing line was painted at the bottom of the resort’s pool, inside its spacious ballroom and along the casino floor with the gambling activities located on the Nevada side.
