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William H. Berg House

Categories Nevada History

National Register of Historic Places » William H. Berg House

William H. Berg House

William H. Berg House Overview

Named for the owner, William H. Berg, who constructed the home between 1914 to 1915 in Round Mountain, Nye County, Nevada.

Year Established/Founded

1914 – 1915

William H. Berg House House History

In 1906, William was the secretary of the King Leopold Mining syndicate.

He married in 1914 and started the construction of his home built with concrete blocks, a popular building material at the time due to their cheapness and durability. The house’s root cellar, which Berg built to store produce from his ranch, was built with glass bottles embedded in concrete. The property also includes an addition and an ice house.

Berg, who was one of the first residents of Round Mountain, lived in the house until his death.

From the National Register of Historic Places application, dated June 23, 1983, which was submitted by William’s son, Karl Ward Berg: 

The Berg House was built in 1914-1915 by William H. Berg of concrete block which he manufactured himself. The plans and interior woodwork were done by Don Thomas, a brother-in-law, who was a building contractor in Los Angeles. The Berg House was designed in an unpretentious Bungalow derived style with flat horizontal lines, a low-pitched overhanging hipped roof, and a broad front porch with elephantine posts. It is one of two examples of concrete block construction in Round Mountain, and one of few examples of its type in Nevada. The house has been maintained in good and original condition.

The Berg root cellar is fairly unique in that it is constructed of thousands of bottles embedded in concrete. It has all the attributes of a good root cellar: it was cheap to construct, frost free, and stands in close proximity to the residence. The double row of bottles are excellent insulation. The root cellar is an excellent example of a building constructed from “discarded” materials rather than traditional building materials, and consequently was inexpensive to construct. The root cellar was used for storing produce grown by Berg on his Smoky Valley Ranch.

The Berg ice house, built in 1924, is a very plain weathered outbuilding and a typical example of its type. The building was constructed with double walls which were filled with sawdust and hay for a very effective insulation. Light-colored stucco was applied to the exterior for the purpose of reflecting the sun’s heat. In the winter W. H. Berg filled five-gallon kerosene cans with water and when frozen solid, he removed the ice blocks and stored them in this building. He then sold ice to the public throughout the summer. At a later date, W. H. Berg installed an ammonia ice-making plant which still exists in the rear of the building.

The Bergs are one of the oldest and best-known families in Round Mountain, Their home is the most substantial residential structure in Round Mountain and also one of the earliest buildings in the town. It has been continuously occupied by the Berg family since it was built. William H. Berg arrived in Round Mountain in 1906 and established an assay office here during the town’s early boom period. W. H. Berg also purchased and operated the original Shoshone Water System which supplied the town with water. He was a prominent rancher, owning the Logan Ranch in Smoky Valley. William and his wife Lillian raised five children in this house. After they died their youngest son, Karl W. Berg, moved his family into the house and Mr. and Mrs. Karl Berg still reside in this house today.

Timeline

  • 1914-1915 – The house was built by William H. Berg.
  • July 12, 1914 – Married Lillian Yeager of Round Mountain
  • April 13, 1950 – William passed away at the age of 77 in Tonopah, Nevada
  • January 11, 1984 – The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Elevation

Unknown at this time.

Location

The William H. Berg House is a historic house located at the intersection of Mariposa and Davis Streets in Round Mountain, Nevada.

GPS Coordinates

38°42′38″N 117°4′5″W

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Photos and Videos

None at this time.

References Used

William H. Berg House