Ernie’s Empire: From Gardena to Glitter Gulch

Welcome to the tale of the Primadonna Club, a Reno landmark with more sass than a showgirl’s feather boa. From its humble beginnings to its towering statues of glamour, the Primadonna’s story is a wild ride of ambition and persistence.

Before Ernie Primm became the toast of Reno, he was already a big fish in Gardena, California. Owner of the Monterey Club and Rainbow Club, Ernie had a knack for turning gambling halls into hotspots.

But the bright lights of Reno called to him, and in the mid-1940s, he took his first steps toward Nevada fame by co-owning the Palace Club.

The Palace wasn’t just another casino, it was a pioneer in turning keno into a mainstay of gambling floors. The Palace Club make keno legit by convincing the Nevada governor it was a "banking game" involving a quirky contraption called the keno goose.

During keno's peak popularity from the early 1940s through the early 1980s, it was a large revenue producer for many casinos and an important tax contributor to the State of Nevada. The advent of state lotteries and large slot jackpots has reduced the popularity of keno.

Ernie vs. City Hall

After selling his interest in the Palace Club in 1951, Ernie leased a spot at 241 North Virginia Street, dreaming of a grand casino. But City Hall wasn’t rolling out the red carpet.

Ernie’s requests for gaming licenses were shot down repeatedly, with officials adamant about keeping gambling off the west side of Virginia Street.

Never one to back down, Ernie turned to lawsuits, appeals, and sheer grit. For four years, he battled the city and the Nevada Supreme Court, earning more rejections than a bad Tinder profile.

Finally, in June 1955, Ernie got his golden ticket (a gaming license) and the Primadonna Club was born.

Go Big or Go Home: Showgirls and Skylines

When the Primadonna Club opened on July 1, 1955, it was a beacon of 1950s cool. But Ernie wasn’t content with “cool”, he wanted iconic. Over the years, he expanded the club, tearing down walls and adding dazzling features like a $2 million showroom in 1963. The inaugural act? A risqué revue called "Paree, Ooo, La La!" featuring topless dancers and enough glam to rival Vegas.

The pièce de resistance was five colossal showgirl statues, with the center figure towering 35 feet high. These statues weren’t just decorations; they were Reno’s answer to Mount Rushmore, oozing sass and style. Ernie even added matching statues to the Sierra Street entrance in 1970, ensuring the Primadonna’s presence loomed large literally over downtown Reno.

Dreams of an 800-Room Empire

By the late ’60s, Ernie had visions of grandeur: an 800-room hotel to complement his casino. In true Primadonna fashion, demolition began before the ink on the blueprints was dry. But as the years ticked by, the hotel never materialized. Instead, the Primadonna Club kept reinventing itself with new signs, more statues, and a steady stream of visitors drawn to its charm.

Even as Ernie’s plans for world domination didn’t pan out, the Primadonna remained a cornerstone of Reno’s nightlife. But in 1974, Ernie (who was born in 1901) decided it was time to cash out, selling the club to the Del Webb Corporation. The iconic venue continued under new management for four more years, but the magic of Ernie’s touch began to fade.

From Primadonna to a Postscript

After Ernie’s exit, the Primadonna changed hands and identities like a chameleon. It became the Virginia Street Casino, Paco’s, Sahara Reno, then Flamingo Hilton before fading into history.

Today, the legacy of the Primadonna lives on in the memories of those who walked through its doors and in the stories of Ernie Primm’s unrelenting determination.

The Primadonna Club wasn’t just a casino; it was a symbol of Reno’s golden era a time of neon lights, big dreams, and even bigger statues. So, the next time you stroll under the Reno Arch, take a moment to remember Ernie Primm, the man who fought City Hall and built a legacy as flamboyant as the city itself.