Blog - FCLV- Preservation Projects

The Friends of Classic Las Vegas is joining with the Atomic Age Alliance to help save Frazier Hall on the UNLV campus. This was the first building built on the campus. As the University celebrates its 50th birthday this year, we find it very ironic that they want to tear down the first building. Most universities preserve their first building so that students can get a sense of the history that came before them and how far the university has come from its humble beginnings.

UNLV seems to embrace the too popular notion that because a building is old, regardless of its history, it must be destroyed to make room for the new and better. It is this idea that is destroying history throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Here's how you can help:

Atomic Age Alliance co-hosts “Save Maude’s Hall” Rally with the Anthropology Society of UNLV in support of the preservation of Maude Frazier Hall, the first building ever built on the UNLV campus.

UNLV History to be Demolished and Re-written

The first classes at UNLV were held here in Maude Frazier Hall on September 10, 1957. It is one of Midtown’s most historic buildings. As the university focuses on the next 50 years, this building is slated for potential demolition within the coming year. On November 29 and 30th the Board of Regents will discuss this decision, whether they will turn their backs on their history and identity, or celebrate this building as a bridge representing the last 50 years of educational growth in Southern Nevada, and as a gateway to the future of UNLV and Midtown redevelopment.

Named for a Female Pioneer of Nevada

Frazier Hall is a testament to a pioneering spirit that few in the history of Nevada have possessed. The individual for whom it is named, Maude Frazier, was responsible for bringing educational facilities of Southern Nevada into the 20th and now 21st centuries. From her ground breaking efforts in the procurement of funds to build Las Vegas High School, to her equally impressive work

persuading the State of Nevada to provide funds for a fledgling university, Maude Frazier’s work is the foundation upon which a substantial portion of Southern Nevada’s educational past, present and future is built. In addition to being a champion of education, Maude Frazier was also a state assembly person and the first female Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. The edifices constructed to celebrate individuals are touchstones by which inspirational spirits may be remembered. Rather then tear down the original and affix Maude’s name to a new irrelevant structure, Maude Frazier Hall should become part of the new master Mid Town plan and saved for the enrichment of generations to come.

The Rally

The “Save Maude’s Hall” rally will bring together student, fans of architecture, alumni and others who care deeply about this important piece of Las Vegas and Clark County history. Special guest speakers will be announced. It will be held from 11:30 to 12:20 making it a convenient lunchtime activity for students and working professionals alike. Local award winning pizzeria, Metro Pizza, has donated pizza for the first rally attendees who arrive.

We hope to see you there!