For those who have been following the saga of the wonderful Huntridge Theater building I have good news.

As many of you know, I have been working with the Save the Huntridge Steering Committee which includes Brian Paco Alvarez, Jack LeVine and Pam Hartley.  Over the last few months we have been working with Eli Mizrachi, the owner of the building, in  attempts to find a solution to saving the building.

Eil visited Southern California where there are a number of old movie theaters that have been saved and undergone adaptive re-use.  When he returned to Las Vegas he was inspired by what he saw and began working with an architect on new plans. 

We met with Eli earlier this summer and he showed us the plans.  They are wonderful and we encouraged him to have a public unveiling so that he could begin to build support for the project.

Well, that part of the puzzle is becoming a reality. 

On Wednesday, August. 13th at Rainbow's End, 1100 E. Sahara Avenue, Eli will unveil the plans.  From 6:30 - 8:00 pm, the public and the press can stop by, see the plans and learn more about how this wonderful building can be saved.

So, if you love this building, we hope to see you there!

According to Wikipedia:

'Cultural tourism' (or culture tourism) is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or region's culture, especially its arts. It generally focuses on traditional communities who have diverse customs, unique form of art and distinct social practices, which basically distinguishes it from other types/forms of culture. Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such as museums and theatres

One of the things we discussed at lunch last Saturday was Cultural Tourism in Las Vegas.  In a city that has marketed itself as America's Playground for almost 60 years now is it any wonder that the majority of people who visit or just moved here have no clue that we have cultural spots like museums and art galleries.

Well, Las Vegas is filled with museums, art galleries and lots of history.  But those places almost never get advertised by the Las Vegas Convention Authority, the Nevada Tourism Office, the City or the County.  Is the LVCVA that worried that tourists might actually leave the Las Vegas Strip for a few hours to soak up some history and never come back to the black jack tables?  Must everything that promotes Las Vegas be about excessive drinking, smoking or snarky behavior that you regret the next day?

The City and the mayor, in particular, keep trying to promote Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas as a tourist mecca.  But one of the endearing qualities of Fremont Street is the history of the area.

Why in a town of 2.4 million people, in a city that is barely 103 years old is it so difficult to find historic neighborhoods, driving tour maps or even information about walking tours?

You can go to small towns through-out this country and they all seem to promote their history.  From large cities such as New York City and Los Angeles to small communities in the Sierra Nevadas to the shores of Cape Cod, you can find historic districts with docents willing to answer questions, maps to museums, art galleries and other significant cultural sites worth visiting.

I think Cultural Tourism is a natural fit for Las Vegas.  We have museums for everything from our Natural History to Atomic Testing, the Clark County Museum has Heritage Street filled with homes and buildings moved from around the Las Vegas Valley, the Nevada State Museum covers our archaeological history to our Post-War history with new showings for artists every 90 days.  The Las Vegas Springs Preserve has walking tours, a flash flood simulation and exhibits about the importance of water not only to our past but to our future.

These are wonderful museums, many of them with state-of-the-art exhibits.

There is a Cultural Corridor and an Arts District.  And there is Fremont Street and the surrounding area with many of its original or second generation buildings still standing behind new facades. 

New York City has Broadway, Los Angeles  has the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Blvd, San Francisco has many significant streets of historic interest.  Fremont Street is our equivalent.  Yes, it's filled with girly joints and gaming casinos and tee-shirt stores but behind all those facades is real history dating back to our roots.  Behind the facade that is Binions is the Hotel Apache and, on the western corner behind the facade,  pieces of the beloved Mint Sign, beneath the facade of the La Bayou is Mayme Stoecker's Northern Club and Wilbur Clark's Monte Carlo Club.  The Pioneer Club has Vegas Vic and beneath its facade the original building when it was Beckley's Store for Men. 

There is real history on Fremont Street.  It was our Main Street, USA with a strange and wonderful twist to it.  It evolved over the years from the heart of our community to Glitter Gulch to the Fremont Street Experience of today.  But beneath the canopy and despite all the development and the disregard for the homes and the small shops and the mom and pop businesses that co-existed alongside the gaming halls, lies our history just waiting to be explored not only by us but by tourists as well. 

Not everyone that comes to Las Vegas comes to gamble and indulge in excesses they may regret in the morning.  Families come here bringing their children to visit their grandparents, friends from around the country and around the world come here to visit friends they went to school with when they were young or went to college with or have been friends with for more years than they can remember.  The bottom line is they would probably love to know that there is more to Las Vegas than just gambling, drinking and what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  But they rarely get that chance to explore the cultural side of Las Vegas because the vast majority of people who have moved here in the last 20 years don't know there is culture in Las Vegas. 

Why is it so difficult to find this information when visiting Las Vegas?

How do we get the city we love to take Cultural Tourism seriously, especially in the downtown area where so much of the city's early history still exists (but is threatened on a daily basis by development)

If you have any ideas, please respond.  I would love to get a dialog going about cultural tourism and how to make it work.

 

Saturday afternoon was great!  A number of preservationists:  Courtney Mooney repping the City's Office of Historic Preservation, Richard Hooker from City Cultural Affairs, Historic Preservation Commissioner Bob Stoldal, Westside historian Trish Geran, News Bureau curator Brian Paco Alvarez, Ellen Leigh from the Atomic Testing Museum, Mary-Margaret and Cary Stratton from the Atomic Age Alliance, Dennis McBride from the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, Jack LeVine and Mary Joy Alderman from VeryVintageVegas, Neighborhood Association leader Pam Hartley, Joel Rosales from LeavingLV.net and yours truly all converged on the Boulder Hotel in beautiful Boulder City to meet for lunch and to talk with Preservation Action director, Heather MacIntosh.

We learned a number of things about how PreservationAction can help us with preservation issues here in Las Vegas. PreservationAction helps with grass-roots efforts and networking.  Heather was quite excited about the possibilities here in Southern Nevada and also very helpful on how we can learn from other western cities that are already ahead of us in terms of historic preservation.

Unfortunately, not all the local groups were there.  Missing were reps from the County Museum, the Neon Museum, the Mob Museum, the Liberace Museum and the Preservation Association of Clark County.

Courtney Mooney is trying to organize an all-day Preservation Summit where all the groups can come together, learn more about what each group is doing and hopefully start working together to pool our energies.  We can't expect the rest of the Valley to take Preservation seriously unless we start talking as one voice.  This will also help us work more effectively with PreservationAction.  Everyone at this meeting plans to be there and we hope the other groups around the Valley will join us.

How can you help?  Get involved.  Join a group like Friends of Classic Las Vegas and help us to continue to bring attention to preservation issues across the Valley.  We have some great ideas for bringing attention to the destruction happening around the old High School and the auto courts on East Fremont among other issues.  Your help is needed and this gives you an opportunity to have a voice in helping to save and preserve our history.

For more information on becoming a member click here. 

 

Well, the tempature is creeping back up towards 100, so that can only mean there must be lots of activities this weekend.

This afternoon I am giving a tour of Historic Fremont Street to the Big Empire.  Every Joone these lovers of Classic Las Vegas converge in town for their annual Soiree, courtesy of Matt Weatherford.  They are a great bunch and I am looking forward to seeing them again.

Tomorrow in Boulder City is a historic preservation summit.  Many of the historic preservation groups, Friends of Classic Las Vegas, Atomic Age Alliance, VeryVintageVegas, as well as city and county officials will be there.  Heather MacIntosh, from Washington DC, will be there to talk more about her group PreservationAction.org and how we can possibly all work together.

Tomorrow night is dinner with the Big Empire group followed by a party at Dr. Lonnie Hammergren's house where he will be unveiling his new Howard Hughes collection.

I'll report back with all the fun and all the facts.

Earlier this week, the Save the Huntridge Community Group leaders (Brian Paco Alvarez, Parm Hartley, Jack LeVine and myself) met with Huntridge owner, Eli Mizrachil.

Eli took a road trip a few weeks ago to Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California.  In Studio City he saw the La Reina theater.  This former S. Charles Lee designed theater closed back in the late 1980s.  It had a beautiful marquee filled with neon and a box office straight out of a movie set.  The theater underwent an adaptive re-use in the early 1990s when it became a Bookstar.  After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, it suffered some damage and had to be retrofitted.  Today it is a major day spa surrounded by various retail stores and restaurants.

I mention all this because seeing the La Reina inspired Eli to think outside the box.  His plans for the Huntridge are amazing.  He ties all three buildings (the former theater, the former bank/mattress store and the former Post Office) quite elegantly.  The lobby of the theater would be the flow-through where people could access the courtyard in the back.  The second story of the theater would become professional office space.  Below would be a mix of retail and restaurants.

The building would be saved, the pylon would be saved and the neon would be restored and relit atop the pylon.

In front, facing Charleston Blvd, would be two pads for a fast-food type place and a Starbucks type place.  Both would be done in the architecture of streamline-moderne to accent the main building.

Eli and his team are hoping to have an unveiling of these plans on First Friday next month.  We will keep you posted about the when and where.

In the meantime, this is, by far, the best idea that we have seen for the Huntridge so far.  It has the power to not only re-energize the building but the entire neighborhood surrounding it.

Here's hoping! 

From our friends at Preserve Nevada comes this year's 11 Most Endangered Sites in Nevada:

 

PRESERVE NEVADA ANNOUNCES NEVADA’'S 2008

“ELEVEN MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES”

Preserve Nevada, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Nevada's cultural, historical, and archeological heritage, announced their 2008 choices for Nevada’s “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places” today. The announcement will took place at the Nevada Historical Society'’s Biennial Conference on Nevada Hisotry.

Preserve Nevada selected Nevada'’s “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places” as a part of its program to bring attention to historically significant buildings, sites, and landscapes under threat of destruction. “

"Nevada is in danger of losing many of its cultural and architectural treasures to the state’s unprecedented development,"” said former Sen. Richard H. Bryan, chairman of the Preserve Nevada board. "“I hope that as we build awareness of the importance of these historic places, they will serve as testaments to our preservation successes in the future.”"

Additionally, Preserve Nevada has created updates on several past “Eleven Most Endangered” sites in order to bring attention to their current situations. Finally, Preserve Nevada has indicated several success stories regarding historic preservation in the state.

Preserve Nevada is a non-profit preservation organization associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Public History program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ College of Liberal Arts.

The 2008 “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places” in Nevada

 

Maude Frazier Hall, Las Vegas

Built by Zick & Sharp Architects, Maude Frazier Hall held the first classes at UNLV. The building is named after Maude Frazier, who persuaded the State of Nevada to provide funds for a fledgling university system in southern Nevada. Despite an insensitive later addition, the building is an excellent example of the Mid-century Modern Style with its long profile ribbon windows, and asymmetric façade. UNLV is currently developing a fifty-year plan for the university, with Maude Frazier Hall slated for potential demolition in the coming year.

The Paradise School, Las Vegas

Constructed in 1949, the Paradise School and associated buildings are located in the Paradise Township of Clark County, and is owned by Clark County. The school is Modern Ranch Style and may be attributed to Richard Stadelman, AIA and Associates. Stadelman designed many local elementary schools between 1949 and 1956, and a Moderne room tower addition to the Flamingo Hotel in 1947. The Paradise School remains one of the oldest intact elementary schools in Clark County. Currently, the proposed placement of the elevated monorail and track structure alongside the gym has the potential to threaten its National Register for Historic Places integrity.

 

 

The Las Vegas Historic District, Las Vegas

Listed on the National Register in 1991, the Las Vegas High School Neighborhood Historic District began development during the late 1920s. The neighborhood includes examples of several different Revival and Traditional styles of architecture. Since much of the original housing has been demolished or converted into professional offices, the historical integrity of the neighborhood has suffered significantly. Many times, the new development is too large for the neighborhood or does not reflect existing historic styles. Recent attempts to adopt recommended (non-regulatory) design guidelines for new development and alterations failed.

Building 100, Date Street Complex, Boulder City

Built in 1941, Building 100 served as the administrative offices of the Bureau of Mines Metallurgy Research Laboratory. The building is located within the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) Date Street Complex, and is listed as a contributing resource within the Boulder City National Register Historic District. Currently owned by the BOR, the building has been gutted and roof removed, with the agency citing hazardous materials and other issues. The BOR has decided to demolish the building. However, as of press time, the demolition has been temporarily delayed until the Section 106 Review process is completed and its future is uncertain.

 

Rhyolite, Nevada

Rhyolite was a typical, ephemeral Nevada mining town, platted in 1905 and essentially deserted by 1912. The town is historically significant because many of its buildings were constructed of stone and concrete, which was not a common practice at the time. Additionally, the town represents historic mining in Nevada. Most of the existing historic structures are deteriorating and in need of stabilization and/or rehabilitation. Additionally, the town is threatened by vandalism as well as increased tourism. Rhyolite is in need of financial support from the Bureau of Land Management as well as a full-time, one-site caretaker to protect the town.

 

The Nye County Courthouse, Tonopah

Built in 1905 at the cost of $55,000, the Nye County Courthouse was the seat of Nye County government until approximately ten years ago. The land had been donated to the county by Jim Butler, who is recognized for discovering the silver deposit that led to the formation of the town of Tonopah. When a new courthouse was built, the historic courthouse was virtually abandoned, except for housing a few non-profit organizations and a state agency field office. After it quickly feel into despair, Nye County Commissioners pledged nearly $200,000 to stabilize and replace the roof to arrest the decay. Currently, the building is an excellent candidate for restoration and rehabilitation projects.

Nevada Northern Locomotives 93, 40, and 81, Ely

For almost a century, locomotives 93, 40, and 81 hauled ore and passenger trains for the Nevada Northern Railway. Yet, mechanical difficulties have currently sidelined all three locomotives. Without the original companies and individuals who manufactured and maintained these locomotives, the challenge is fabricating new parts from steel, brass and iron to put these machines back in service.

 

Stokes Castle, Austin

Stokes Castle is one of the state's most recognizable historic landmarks. The three-story granite tower was built in 1897 for Anson Phelps Stokes, the driving force behind the Nevada Central Railroad and Austin's mining industry at the end of the nineteenth century. Currently, it is owned by the Austin Historical Society, which has limited resources to maintain the structure. Stokes Castle faces threats from general decay and vandalism.

 

 

The Lagomarsino Rock Art Site, Storey County

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the Lagomarsino Rock Art Site is among the most impressive collection of petroglyphs in the western Great Basin. Located roughly 12 miles north of Virginia City, the site consists of more than 2,000 panels of rock art. Relative inaccessibility and watchful ownership by Storey County have protected this site from overuse and vandalism in the past. Recently proposed suburban development, however, could encroach on site and expose fragile resources to increased vandalism and abuse. While the developer of the proposed housing complex has worked with the Nevada Rock Art Foundation to lessen the potential impact, many parties are concerned about how a large new community can not adversely effect such a fragile and important resource.

Commercial Row, Wells

Founded in 1869 by Central Pacific Railroad, Wells retains an enthusiastic grassroots preservation community that preserves the town’s numerous historic structures. However, following a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in the Northeast corner of Nevada on February 21, 2008, the Commercial Row is in need of significant help. Even though the earthquake damage remains widespread, there is a lack of economic support for repair and rehabilitation.

 

 

 

Mid-Century Roadside Motor Courts, Southern Nevada

Following the Federal-Aid Road Acts of 1916 and 1921, which created a national network of two-lane highways, automobile driving as well as the motor courts became popularized among American tourists. Built from the 1920s and 1960s, these buildings often exhibit the “Wild West” and western lore, with weeping mortar, faux adobe, Spanish tile roofs, and covered arcades with heavy post and beam construction. The now-aging motor courts are often located in areas of town not frequented by tourists, and relegated to long-term residential use or even abandoned altogether. They are threatened by rising land values which encouraged new development rather than adaptive reuse.

Updates on past “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places” Sites

Virginia Street Bridge , “Eleven Most Endangered” List 2003, 2006-2007

The Virginia Street Bridge, opened to traffic in 1905, spans the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The bridge combines traditional decorative design and modern electric light fixtures. In March 2007, the Reno City Council voted to demolish and replace the Virginia Street Bridge. However, the city is still awaiting a decision on which flood project alternative the U.S. Congress will fund before the Section 106 process can begin.

 

 

Kiel Ranch, North Las Vegas, “Eleven Most Endangered” List 2006-2007

The Kiel Ranch, located in North Las Vegas, contains one of the oldest historic adobe buildings remaining in Nevada. While the city of North Las Vegas has publicly stated that it will preserve and open Kiel Ranch to the public, little has been done at the site since the city made the commitment in 2005.

 

Huntridge Theatre, “Eleven Most Endangered” List 2006-2007

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, the Huntridge Theatre provided the Las Vegas community with entertainment both “live” and on the silver screen for almost five decades. As one of the few surviving examples of Art Moderne theater architecture in Nevada, t he future of the Huntridge Theatre will be decided this year. The current owner is seeking to buy his way out of covenants on the deed that prevent him from demolishing the building.

Nevada Ranches, “Eleven Most Endangered” List 2004-2005

Nevada ’s ranches are quickly becoming compromised by the nation’s infrastructure projects. Long seen as a backwater, rural Nevada contains long valleys, bordered by magnificent mountain ranges. Recent world events are causing federal agencies to be inundated by proposed power and other infrastructure projects likely to impact hundreds of thousands of acres. Many of these projects, which are dubbed “green,” will forever remove the ruralness that makes these open landscapes unique in character, which contain significant ranches and other historic resources. Preserve Nevada is supportive of green energy projects and energy diversification but advocates for projects that are sensitive to preservation of the rural Nevada landscape and its ranches.

Successes Stories

Bethel AME Church, Reno

Historic Bethel AME Church in Reno barely survived a devastating fire in 2004. Through the efforts of the church and the Bethel Housing Development Corporation, and with funding from the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs, the building's rehabilitation has just been completed. The building will open to the public on June 8, 2008 as the Reno African-American Cultural Center. The first exhibit, sponsored by the Nevada Humanities Committee, will be on Frederick Douglass.

Nevada Northern Railway National Historic Landmark Building

The Nevada Northern Railway Engine house has now been stabilized in the words of the structural engineer, the structure “should provide another 100 years of service.” Additionally, the McGill Depot’s walls have been repaired, has a new roof, and the building envelope is sealed. There continues to be plenty of work to be done on both structures, and now they will be around for the work to be done.

 

 

La Concha Motel Lobby, Las Vegas

After several years of hard work, and against long odds, Paul Williams’ La Concha has risen again at the Neon Bone Yard. The preservation of La Concha ranks as one of the most interesting moved building stories in the annals of American preservation. The reconstructed building is an excellent example of appropriate relocation.

Preserve Nevada’s board members include former U.S. Sen. Richard H. Bryan; Andrew Kirk, Director of UNLV’s Public History program; Sue Fawn Chung, Professor of History at UNLV and Southern Nevada advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Robert A. Stoldal, Vice President of KLAS TV-8; 

UNLV, Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs, and private donations provide financial support for Preserve Nevada. For more information about Preserve Nevada send emails to PreserveNevada@gmail.com.

 

Special thanks to UNLV Special Collections and RoadsidePictures for letting us use these images!