The Pink Motel became Nye County’s first Brownfields Project when the County used its Brownfields Pilot Demonstration Program to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) in 2002.
The site was developed as a hotel under various names, though it has traditionally been referred to as the Pink Motel. The Pink Motel was originally developed in 1950 and comprised five buildings and a swimming pool. It was closed and abandoned in 1996. The Pink Motel entered the Nye County Brownfields program in 2002. Following the initial site assessment under the Brownfields program, the Town of Tonopah purchased the property in 2003 with the intention of redeveloping the property as part of its downtown revitalization effort. The hotel was then demolished in 2005.
In 2006 and 2007, an on-site pocket park was developed (that doubled as the local Farmers Market), and an Electronic Reader Board was installed to announce local events. In 2011, the Emergency Services Building was constructed, including the Volunteer Fire Station and Ambulance Facility. In 2016, Tesla obtained authorization from the Town Board to install eight Tesla Electric Vehicle Supercharging Stations to help complete the “electric highway” connecting Nevada’s two largest population centers – the City of Las Vegas and the City of Reno. Located immediately adjacent to the Emergency Management Services Building, along the US 95 highway, visitors to the Town can now charge their cars while enjoying the local businesses in the downtown area. Today, the former Pink Motel site serves as one of the Town’s signature locations, exemplifying the commitment to service as evidenced by the Emergency Management Services building, entrepreneurial spirit as demonstrated in the park’s farmer’s market and other community events, and embracement of technology by housing one of the first electrical vehicle charging facilities in rural Nevada.