Measuring Up

A note; Al Solari was determined to get every bit of benefit from his panel plant, the old aircraft hanger, and so every building project we had under contract was examined to see if we could use pre-fabrication in the construction of it. Invariably, it was determined that we could and we would. In the case of the Money Tree, there were no drawings made for panelizing. No engineers looked at it. I was simply told to go to the project and design it myself. A few weeks previous, I was a sheetrocker and now I was a structural engineer? OK.

As the weather changed and became more spring-like, I began to plan for the pre-fabricated panels that were going to be placed on the new Money Tree casino. This meant that I had to climb all over the structural framework of the emerging structure, placing me in a working relationship with ‘ironworkers’, a trade group that I knew little of. I soon knew them all quite well.

A little bit of info about Reno in those days, the 70’s and 80’s; Unlike Los Angeles, you would almost always work with the same tradesmen on each and every job. Within a few years I knew every ironworker, electrician, plumber, ‘tin knocker’ and laborer in town. Worked with them on every project. So you learned very quickly that it made sense to be helpful to one another. We looked out for each other, where in Los Angeles it was exactly the opposite. It was very refreshing!

So there I was, climbing up onto the steel structure and measuring for the panels to be built. And designing the structural attachments as I went. And after a week of measuring, by myself… Mr. Solari didn’t believe in unnecessary labor costs, I was back at the plant and building the panels. By myself.

Some Money Tree memorabilia