The land that holds 121 Vesta St. in Reno has had many starts and stops in its Nevada lifetime.
At one point, the space was used for a nightclub and as an art storage facility. It had even been an auto garage, a charter school and a restaurant. Now the property is home to The Carlin — a two-building apartment complex with a combined 40 units.
The Carlin has murals designed by local artist Bryce Chisholm on the outside of the building's elevator shaft and outside the trash enclosure. On the ground floor, there's a local coffee shop named Rising For People Coffee with outdoor seating and a walk-up window. Marmot Properties, the developer, used so much local inspiration to design The Carlin that the building was awarded a 2025 CoStar Impact Award for multifamily development of the year in Reno.
Eric and Bryan Raydon, the co-founders of Marmot, and their development partner, Chris Melling, began construction on The Carlin in 2023. During the process, Chris' mentor and longtime friend, Skip Carlin Farber, died at 70. Farber was a co-founder of Carlin Capital Partners, a private investment firm he started in 2009."
The developers decided to name the building after Farber to honor the role he played in getting the apartment building project financed.
"He was instrumental in getting this project off the ground before he passed," Chris Melling, the CEO of Mount Rose Capital Partners, which also helped finance The Carlin, said in an emailed statement. "It breaks my heart he's not around to see it finished."
Construction on The Carlin finished late last year, and Marmot is now leasing units.
About the project: Marmot Properties financed construction of The Carlin with a $10 million loan. The building also has six charging stations for electric vehicles. Inside, potential renters can choose between one- or two-bedroom traditional units or lofts. The lofts, which have 23-foot ceilings, come with two patios.
The electricity lines that power The Carlin were installed underground along Holcomb Avenue, instead of traditionally stringing them overhead. Installing the lines underground allowed Marmot to build an extra six units in the complex.
The first 10 residents to sign leases were given a custom artwork from Chisholm, and each resident was allowed to pick the theme and color of the painting.
What the judges said: "The Carlin in Midtown will bring a unique design and lifestyle that I think is going to start setting the standard for new multifamily developments in the future," said Ben Galles of CBRE.
They made it happen: The financing came from Chris Melling at Mount Rose Capital Partners and Skip Carlin Farber at Carlin Capital Partners. The construction was led by Ryan Gold, Jessie Barber and Martin Janda of Group West Construction. The architects were David Madsen and Jason Durr of KRI, and the building's interior designers were Stefano Hristov of Marmot Properties and Carolyn Raydon of Mountain Mouse Interiors.