Brian "Paco" Alvarez is one of those guys that everyone seems to know. Mention his name to a group of people, and the chances are pretty good that someone in the group knows Paco. Paco is a native son, born and raised. He has lived Downtown for many years and has been extolling the advantages of Downtown life and the history of Downtown for twice as long. He has worked at the the Liberace Foundation, the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Neon Museum,  the Las Vegas News Bureau  and now is working at Zappos .

He has curated various exhibits on the history of Las Vegas, can be found at gallery openings, museum galas and all around town where ever history and preservation are being discussed.

Despite his busy schedule, he carved out some time to talk about two of his favorite subjects- history and preservation in Las Vegas.

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in Las Vegas history?

 Alvarez: I have always loved history and have been fascinated for what came before. Though I will be honest I never thought that I would follow a career in the field. My degree is in Anthropology with an emphasis in Museum Studies so it was natural for me to go into the museum field and work more on the technical side of the field. But it was in the museum world that solidified my penchant for history

You can read more at our blog: ClassicLasVegasBlog.com

Today's Preservation Spotlight shines on Dr. Michael Green, historian!

We had a great time talking with Dr. Mike about Las Vegas history, especially the Mob!

"But my favorite, I think, is the history of organized crime here.  I am very involved with the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (The Mob Museum), and I have learned a lot working on that.  It’s a fascinating story that takes into account everything from ethnicity to the power of the state (both the nation-state and the state of Nevada).  It’s just a marvelously broad and interesting topic."

Read the entire interview at ClassicLasVegasBlog.com

Today's Preservation Spotlight is on Dennis McBride, Executive Director of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas and longtime Las Vegas Valley historian.

I've been good friends with Dennis since we first met over ten years ago. He was one of the main inspirations behind my getting interested in preserving 20th Century Las Vegas history.  His oral histories with the men who worked on the building of Boulder/Hoover Dam and the women who helped build Boulder City into more than just a Federal reservation were key to inspiring me.  His pioneering work at the Boulder Dam Museum as well as his work in chronicling the history of the Gay and Lesbian movement in the Las Vegas Valley serve as inspirations to us all.

Today, Dennis helps preserve Las Vegas history at the State Museum and has a deep interest in the Photography collection there. Just a few years ago, he cataloged the J. Florian Mitchell collection that includes some wonderful images of mid-century modern Las Vegas.

We sat down with Dennis and talked about preservation and history in Las Vegas:

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in preserving Southern Nevada history?

McBride:   Saving things, preserving things, collecting and organizing things is a significant part of my nature. I’ve been doing it since I was a child....

Read the rest of the interview at ClassicLasVegasBlog.com

Jack LeVine aka Uncle Jack of VeryVintageVegas.com  Photo courtesy of ViewsonVegas

Today we turn our Preservation Spotlight on the founder of VeryVintageVegas.com, Jack LeVine.

Jack has long been involved in the fight to save the downtown neighborhoods.

Check out his interview at:

ClassicLasVegasBlog.com

We sat down and talked mid-century modern Las Vegas with one of our favorite people, author, historian and preservationist, Alan Hess for today's Preservation Spotlight.

Be sure to check it out at  ClassicLasVegasBlog.com