Rinckel Mansion
Carson City, Carson City, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Rinckel Mansion. Completed in 1876, this palatial residence is an excellent example of High Victorian Italianate architecture in Carson City. Charles H. Jones, a French-schooled designer, constructed the residence for Mathias Rinckel using European craftsmen. The mansion is constructed of pressed brick resting upon a sandstone ashlar foundation. The sandstone originated from the Nevada State Prison quarry. The brick came from Carson Valley and knot-free lumber was obtained from the pine forests of Lake Tahoe.Rinckel, a German immigrant and pioneer Carson City merchant, accumulated a degree of wealth in the gold fields in the Feather River District of California from 1849 to 1859. He increased his fortune in mining at Virginia City during that city’s infancy. In 1863, Rinckel settled in Carson City, where he engaged in raising livestock and butchering. As a successful merchant, he supplied the mining and timber districts surrounding Eagle Valley with meat.
Erected by Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
The Story
Completed in 1876, the Rinckel Mansion is a striking example of High Victorian Italianate architecture, built for merchant Mathias Rinckel by French-schooled designer Charles H. Jones and European craftsmen. Its pressed brick, sandstone foundation from the state prison quarry, and knot-free Tahoe lumber reflect the wealth behind it. Rinckel, a German immigrant, made his first fortune in California's gold country, added to it at Virginia City, and by 1863 had settled in Carson City as a livestock and meat supplier to the mining districts.
Why it matters
It embodies the immigrant success story of the mining West, where a German newcomer could parlay the gold rush into wealth grand enough to build a mansion.
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Related people
- · Mathias Rinckel
- · Charles H. Jones
Themes & tags
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