Historic Carson City ‘Lamplighter’ bar reopens following renovations, new ownership
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Fri, 09/18/2020 - 11:38am
While the building that is housing the Lamplighter bar has undergone many names throughout its long history, owner Cheryl Mathwig said she always connected to its iteration of being the Lamplighter.
Now the bar that was most recently known as Tommy’s Neighborhood Bar has reverted to its old name, and Mathwig is dedicated to bringing back historical touches.
“My husband and I heard that the owner of Tommy’s was closing up shop and we thought it would be a good opportunity for us,” said Mathwig, who also owns the Crossroads Lounge. “We went with the Lamplighter name because we’ve been here for about 40 years and we remembered that’s what it used to be during our time.”
According to Mathwig, the building has been used as various bars and saloons since the 1960s, and has undergone numerous renovations over the years.
Mathwig actually took ownership of the bar back in February, but due to COVID-19 closing all of the bars in Nevada soon after, they decided instead to spend the time renovating.
“There was a lot of renovation that had to be done since it’s such an old building,” said Mathwig. “It took us a while, but now it’s completely redone. We wanted to keep the old nostalgia to it, but it didn’t have heating or air conditioning so we put a new system in, and I’m collecting old Lamplighter memorabilia from locals.”
Mathwig said the Lamplighter is practicing social distancing, which is why they chose not to have a grand opening. But the space is large, so tables can be spread out to adhere to the Governor’s mandate.
The Lamplighter is currently open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., or later if there is a crowd.
The Lamplighter is located at 260 W. Winnie Lane in Carson City. To learn more about this historic bar, click here.
