Skip to ContentThe Fourth Ward School in Virginia City opened in 1876 and is, the museum says, the only Second Empire school building left standing in the U.S. It is now a museum of the Comstock.
Checked November 2, 2026. Dates, prices and hours change; the official page wins.
- 1876school opened
- ~1,000students at the start, per the museum
- 4stories
- 1 of 1Second Empire school left in the U.S., per the museum
The Building
The Fourth Ward School Museum calls its building the only Second Empire school building still standing in the United States. The four-story school opened in 1876, held nearly 1,000 students at the start, and 2026 is the 150th anniversary of its construction, the museum says. A 150th-anniversary exhibit covers the people, stories and preservation work behind it. Permanent exhibits include the building itself and a history of the Comstock.
Visit
- Address537 South C Street, Virginia City, NV 89440 (mail: P.O. Box 4)
- HoursThe museum home page says daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., “normal hours.” Its Visit page, read earlier, listed shorter winter hours, Friday to Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Call before a winter trip.
- Phone(775) 847-0975
- AdmissionTickets are sold through the museum’s ticket site; the prices we read on its Visit page were adults $9, ages 6 to 12 $6, ages 5 and under free. Not rechecked on the ticket site.
- Getting thereAbout 45 minutes from Reno (our estimate, no live traffic)
Legends And Lore
Stories people tell about this place, each labelled and checked against the record.
What We Could Not Confirm
These items were not read on an official page when we checked, so we do not state them as fact. Who can confirm each one is named.
- Architect and the year the school closed (Fourth Ward School Museum; the Library of Congress HABS record may also hold it).
- Current winter hours: the two museum pages differ.
- Current ticket prices (the museum’s ticket site).
More to Explore
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Fourth Ward School open in winter?
Its home page says normal hours daily; its Visit page listed shorter winter hours. Call (775) 847-0975.
Sources
Cite this page: It’s Reno editorial team, “Fourth Ward School Museum,” itsreno.com, checked November 2, 2026.