After Eilley lost Bowers Mansion in 1876, the house passed through several owners. Myron C. Lake tried to restore its former glory and continued picnics and social events with limited success, even considering turning it into an insane asylum. Theodore Winters then acquired the property hoping to make it a new Monte Carlo; although he did not realize that ambition, he briefly revived the picnic season and brought visitors back. By 1894, after Winters had given the mansion to a friend, the nearly abandoned house had fallen into severe decay, with nailed-shut doors, weed-filled fishponds, crumbling fountains, ivy covering the exterior, and bathhouses used only by homeless vagabonds. In 1902, Henry Riter, impressed by a painting of Bowers Mansion in a Reno saloon, bought both the painting and the mansion with its 46 acres for $1,000 without seeing the property. Though born to modest means, he had become a successful businessman and, with his wife, spent the next two years restoring the estate as a glamorous resort and picnic destination. In 1905, after the restoration, the Riters hosted a lively summer season that ended with a moonlight picnic for local residents. Over the years, Henry Riter leased the mansion to various operators while keeping ownership and preserving Eilley’s vision; a doctor once used the hot springs medicinally for patients, and later leaseholders converted the house into a hotel with first-class meals, rooms, dancing, and swimming pools. He did not live there full-time until 1915 and cared for the mansion until his 80th birthday, when he chose to sell it in 1943. Riter wanted the estate preserved as a park for future generations, and when the state did not buy it, the Reno Women's Civic Club stepped forward, making a $1.00 down payment while launching a statewide fundraising campaign. By late May 1943, the club had raised $25,000 but still needed $75,000 more, until Washoe County agreed to provide the balance. A restoration committee and volunteers then stabilized the building and refurnished rooms with Victorian-era pieces, the Reno Women's Civic Club remained active in later restoration work, and the mansion reopened to the public in 1950. Since then, Washoe County Parks has overseen its continuing repair and maintenance as a valued part of local heritage.