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AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 www.aialasvegas.org

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Page 1: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

AIA LAS VEGASVISITOR’S GUIDE

401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101

702.895.0936www.aialasvegas.org

Page 2: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las Vegas! Perhaps it’s been awhile since you’ve had the opportunity to visit our downtown. So, take a walk and learn about how our city is changing. Here’s a great chance to get to know the city.

Regional Justice CenterLewis and 3rd Street - 200 Lewis StreetArchitect – Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects 2003

The Regional Justice Center contains 700,000 square feet of space to house four different court systems: Municipal, Justice, District and Supreme. The eighteen-story concrete structure is surrounded by a five-story volume to help make the scale more context-friendly. A light-filled, canyon-like space runs through this volume and terminates at the main entrance, which is elevated and features a civic plaza that reflects traditional courthouse design.

Clark County Detention CenterLewis and Casino Center - 330 S. Casino Center

Architects - HOK and JMA Architects (original) and HCA and Dworsky Nevada (addition) 1984 and 2002

This building was purposely designed to resemble an office building instead of a jail to blend into downtown. The 350,000 square-foot facility is twelve stories tall, clad with glazed brick and contains 1,450 beds. The Detention Center and the Clark County

Courthouse a few blocks away are connected through underground passageways to securely move inmates from one building to the other. A 320,000 square-foot expansion

by HCA and Dworsky Nevada , the south building, opened in 2002 and has provided 1,300 additional beds.

Lewis Avenue Pedestrian Corridor Lewis Avenue between Las Vegas Boulevard and 4th StreetArchitect - SWA Group – 2002

As part of a beautification effort by the City of Las Vegas, a three block stretch of land downtown has been transformed into a public plaza linking the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse to the Regional Justice Center. The $2.36 million project intended to be a place for contemplation, lights, benches, over 600 trees and shrubs, and a bridge inscribed with poetry. This project won an award from the Nevada Chapter of the American Planning Institute.

Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse Clark and Las Vegas Blvd. - 333 S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Architects - Cannon Dworsky and HCA Architects

This striking building, with a $95 million price tag, has been a welcome addition to downtown Las Vegas. The seven-story, 437,000 square-foot facility is L-shaped with its public face and

grand entry directed toward downtown. The elevated courtyard space is set back from the street and protected by a series of bollards, a post-Oklahoma City security feature. Exterior

building materials (granite, concrete, limestone, white marble, terrazzo, wood and glass) were intended to convey honesty and endurance. This building won an AIA National award

for Design Excellence in 2001.

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Page 3: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Performing ArtsBridger and 7th St. - 315 S. 7th StreetArchitects – George A. Ferris and Lehman A. Ferris – 1930

The Las Vegas Academy is the city’s best example of Art Deco architecture and was the only high school until the 1950s. Located within the “Las Vegas High School Neighborhood Historic District” bound by 9th, Gass, 6th and Bridger, the three-story concrete building is clad in stucco, and cast concrete friezes depict animals, vegetation, and medallions. The center pavilion with the main entrance is the most elaborate element. Although the exterior has been well preserved, the interior has been altered over the years. The school and its gymnasium were added to the Historic Register in 1986. Las Vegas architectural firm Welles Pugsley Architects (now

Pugsley Simpson Coulter Architects) constructed a colorful addition to the Academy in 2000.

Morelli House (Interior tour provided by Junior League of Las Vegas)9th St. and Bridger - 861 East Bridger Street

Architect – Hugh E. Taylor, AIA - 1959

Because the Morelli House is an excellent example of Las Vegas Mid Century modern architecture and displays a high degree of integrity of design,

materials, workmanship and even association, it was placed on Nevada’s Register of Historical Places in 2002. Originally, the house was located at 52

Country Club Drive in the prestigious Desert Inn Estates, The Morelli House was completed in 1959 and was the Morelli’s home until 1974.

Rectangular in plan, the overall appearance of the Morelli House is long and low, melding into the landscape. The wall surface is stucco and painted redwood with vertical battens which counteract

the extreme horizontality to a degree. In several places along the front of the building, walls are screened with decorative openwork cement blocks. These screens are topped by a row of windows. Between the top of the screen and the widely

overhanging eves, is an area called ‘a gallery’ by the architect.

El Cortez CasinoFremont St and 6th St. (entrance on Fremont St.) - 600 E. Fremont Street (1930s portion with historic photos on the walls and sidewalk plaque marking 1942 end of Las Vegas Red Light District

Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson built the El Cortez, downtown Las Vegas first major resort, in 1941 for $245,000. The location at 6th Street and Fremont was originally considered too far from downtown, but it became quickly so profitable, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum and Moe Sedway bought the property in 1945. J.K. Houssels had originally opened the fifty-nine room hotel and casino before the sale to the major organized crime figures. In 1963, the Pavilion Rooms were added by new owner Jackie Gaughan. Another

15 story tower addition was completed in 1980, bringing the total room count to its current 300. Gaughan, a casino owner and operator since the early 1950s, lives in the El Cortez tower penthouse and is known to be on the casino floor almost daily. The property is one of the few casinos to have never changed its exterior facade in Las Vegas, retaining the same signage and ranch themed architecture for over sixty years.

Emergency Arts Complex520 Fremont Street

The El Cortez had owned the long-shuttered building that once housed the Fremont Medical Center – where she recalls taking a pre-employment drug test in order to work at the resort years ago. In May 2010 it was re-launched as Emergency Arts, a creative collective of artist

spaces, galleries, a yoga studio, a hair salon, a vintage repair store and a coffee shop.

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Page 4: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

Fremont Street ExperienceFremont Street from Main to 4th StreetArchitect – The Jerde Partnership – 1995

The Fremont Street Experience was an attempt to redevelop and rejuvenate downtown Las Vegas. The popularity of the family-oriented Strip and the aging of downtown casinos kept many visitors away. The addition of the four-block-long, 90 foot high space frame has transformed Fremont Street into one large casino with a pedestrian mall. Concerts and other events are held at the Experience, in addition to the light show that plays hourly in the evenings. Overall, the project has been considered a success. Under the frame of the Fremont Street Experience, the El Portal Theatre can be found. The El Portal is a 1928 historic landmark. The blue-green neon sign can be seen just behind the Trader Bills sign (street address is 310 Fremont Street.)

Neon Museum

From East Fremont to the Fremont Street Experience, inside Neolopolis and north on 3rd Street, you will find a wonderful collection of historic neon signage and sculptures. This area

now serves as the “neon museum” showcasing the dozens of beautifully rendered neon artwork that helped to make the city famous.

“Pawn Stars” Gold & Silver Pawn Shop713 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Located in Downtown Las Vegas, owners Rick Harrison (The Spotter) , his dad (The Old Man), his son (Big Hoss) and longtime friend Austin Russell (Chumlee) run this famous establishment. Thousands of visitors flock here every day and even if you’re not into collectibles, the shop makes for a unique tourist attraction. On busy days, you’ll actually see a line of people waiting just to get a sneak peek at the inside. The 24-hour pawn shop opened back in 1989 but has gained massive popularity since “Pawn Stars” debuted in July 2009. It is the highest-rated show on the History Channel, attracting more than 5 million viewers.

City Hall Complex400 E. Stewart Avenue

Architects – Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall and KGA Architecture (addition) – 1973 & 2002

2003 AIA Nevada Design Citation Award Winner in the Built Category

The Las Vegas City Hall complex consists of an eleven-story tower with a three-story circular wing surrounding an open plaza. The wedge-shaped tower is clad in marble and glass and

considered a good example of 1960s modernist design. In a move that could change the economic landscape of downtown Las Vegas, Zappos.com will take over City Hall, moving its

headquarters and about 1,000 employees there sometime in 2012. The new city hall is located downtown between First and Main Streets and Lewis and Clark Avenues. The old City Hall has

been purchased by Zappos for their new Las Vegas headquarters.

U.S. Post Office & Court House (Soon to be the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement or “Mob Museum”)301 E. Stewart AvenueArchitect – James A. Wetmore – 1931-33

Once the most elaborate building in Las Vegas, the Beaux-Arts classical styling of the post office reflected the taste of the Treasury department’s architects of the 1890s and 1900s. Through its architecture, the three-story, steel-frame building, clad in brick and terracotta, signified its importance as a federal building among a sea of bars and hotels. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and the City of Las Vegas officials have proposed converting the building into a museum or cultural center.

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Page 5: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

RTC Bonneville Station101 E Bonneville Ave

Architect - SH Architecture

This two-story building approximately 20,000 S.F. includes an attached bike station. The majority of the facility is comprised of steel construction and a curtain wall

system. A LEED Gold Design incorporates many sustainable features such as high performance glazing, exterior shading devices, solar thermal water heating among

others. The downtown Central City Terminal (CCT) will be home to the Las Vegas Valley’s premier transit services, including park and ride express routes.

The Arts Factory107 East Charleston Boulevard

The Arts Factory houses painters, graphic designers, photographers, architects, a yoga school and showcases both emerging and established artists through the Contemporary Arts Collective on two full floors of studios. It is also home to the new Bar + Bistro restaurant – so there’s something to satisfy all your senses.

Smith Center361 Symphony Park Avenue

Architect - David M. Schwartz

Designed by world renowned architect David M. Schwarz, our cultural campus will include the 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall, complete with a full

orchestra pit capable of seating up to 100 musicians; the 300-seat cabaret theater that overlooks Symphony Park and is ideal for jazz,

cabaret and other performances best seen and heard in an intimate setting; and the 200-seat studio theater, ideal for rehearsals, children’s

theater, community events and private social gatherings.

The theaters have been meticulously designed by theater consultants Fisher Dachs Associates and acoustician firm Akustiks, to provide

optimal sightlines and refined acoustics. As a result, performers and patrons will connect like never before. State-of-the-art recording equipment will preserve performances for the future,

ensuring that they will continue to be enjoyed as digital masterpieces.

Ruvo Cleveland Clinic Center (Gehry Building)888 W. Bonneville AveArchitect - Frank Gehry

The Center is approximately 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2) and includes 13 examination rooms, offices for health care practitioners and researchers, a “Museum of the Mind,” and a community auditorium. The Center will also serve as the headquarters for Keep Memory Alive, the Las Vegas Alzheimer’s Association and the Las Vegas Parkinson’s Disease Association.

The Center operates as an outpatient treatment and research facility in downtown Las Vegas on land deeded to Keep Memory Alive, the fund raising arm of LRCBH, by the City of Las Vegas as part of its 61 acres (25 ha) Symphony Park.

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Page 6: AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE...AIA LAS VEGAS VISITOR’S GUIDE 401 S. 4th Street, Suite 175 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702.895.0936 INTERESTING SITES IN LAS VEGAS Welcome to downtown Las

Clark County Government Center500 S. Grand Central Pkwy.

Architect - Fentress Bradburn

Nestled in the hub of Clark County, the desert-inspired Government Center is one of Southern Nevada’s most striking buildings and was voted Best of Las Vegas 2005, Best

Non-Hotel Architecture, by the readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Opened in 1995, the Government Center’s sandstone exterior reflects Nevada’s historical

ecology, while images of ancient petroglyphs imbedded in interior and exterior walls pay homage to its cultural heritage. The 385,000-square-foot facility stretches across

38.8 acres of land located on the southeast corner of Grand Central Parkway and Bonneville Avenue. The forms and materials of the building blend seamlessly to tie it

to the local environment, particularly Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and other natural sandstone formations representative of Clark County.

World Market Center495 S. Grand Central Parkway Architect - JMA

When Las Vegas Market debuted at World Market Center Las Vegas in summer 2005, it fulfilled home furnishings’ unmet need for a world-class trade event with exceptional market representation in a convenient, easily accessible city. Held in Las Vegas, featuring a state-of-the-art venue and an unrivaled assortment of first-class amenities, it claimed a record-breaking debut as the largest show launch in U.S. history.

Premium Outlet Mall875 South Grand Central Parkway

Las Vegas Premium Outlets is an exciting new outlet center with an impressive collection of the finest designer labels and brands. Include a shopping stop

during your next trip to Las Vegas. Located just 5 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, you can bet on finding a great deal.

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