The Place:
Located at the corner of W North and S Main Streets stands the Laird Building, erected in 1908. The building name and date of construction are lettered in rusted metal on the east face of the building.
I did some research on the history of this building and the only information I could locate was a paragraph from the nearby Hotel Niles website that reads:
In 1908, Jay (Niles) sold his extensive holdings in the Adin area and moved his family to the growing city of Alturas. The community of Alturas was fortunate to be the recipient of this man’s attention. In partnership with Reuel Laird, Jay’s first enterprise was the construction of the original Niles Hotel, a two story stone edifice on Main Street. The ground floor was occupied by a variety of businesses, and the second floor served as a hotel. This structure, which is known today as the Laird Building, housed the Bank of America for many years. While Jay was building his hotel, a new three story structure named the Curtis Hotel was under construction down the street. In 1912 Jay purchased the Curtis Hotel, completed the interior of the upper two floors and renamed it the Niles Hotel. He operated this landmark until 1929 when, at the age of 76, he sold the hotel and retired . . . temporarily.
In addition to the Laird Building housing a hotel and bank for many years, the building was also home to Laird Drug Store/Pharmacy, and a picture of the drugstore that once existed in this building is captured below.
Today, this building is home to a few retail shops that include a flower shop, a second-hand/knick-knack store and a gift shop/espresso bar. The former hotel upstairs looks gutted and unused, from the open studded walls that I could see from outside.
I also located another online article from RootsWeb.com that details the pharmaceutical history of this building. This building was home to a pharmacy for 98 years but the current owners of the building shut down the pharmacy in 2008.
The Person:
Reuel Laird, along with his business partner, Jay Niles, were responsible for constructing the stone Laird building that still stands today with very little change to the exterior over the decades. Reuel's brother, Ralph, managed Laird Drug Store on the first floor. Reuel kept an upstairs office as an attorney and Justice of the Peace. The PollyAnn Bakery was located next door to the pharmacy. Laird’s father James T. Laird was a local pharmacist for 30 years.
I could find very little information online regarding Reuel Laird but I did manage to find some notable facts. A Reno newspaper article from January, 1953 mentions Laird retiring as judge of the city court after 20 years service. Previous to his appointment by the council Laird had served 12 years as councilman, 10 years as mayor and also had been city treasurer. He was the Alturas Rotary Club President in 1947-48. He and other Alturas locals were in San Francisco in 1906 when the great earthquake occurred, devastating the city, but Laird and his constituents were able to leave the city in one piece. From a 1940 census I was able to determine that Reuel Laird was 56 years of age and was born in 1884. His wife's name was B Della Laird and was 51 years of age. Laird's date of death is unknown.
From the above events of Reuel Laird, it can be assumed that he led a very prominent and respected life in Alturas as a businessman, attorney and finally as a city court judge.