Going, going…gone Editorial by JOE THOMSON The winds of change will soon invade the largest information or historic photographs concerning the remaining section of historic downtown Las Vegas. homes and businesses in this area, please forward it to Five blocks of the southwest corner of what was me as I hope to share some of this information in future “Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite” are in the process of articles. redevelopment. The blocks that are included in this project are three fronting Main Street from Lewis It is rather unconscionable how poorly this community Avenue to Garces Avenue and two blocks between First has preserved its history. The opportunity was there to Street and Casino Center Boulevard (Second Street) reach back to the origins of this city and preserve in a between Clark Avenue and Garces Avenue. A company structured and thoughtful process, whether it is identified as XYZ Properties has been aggressively documentation or actual buildings. Instead we are left purchasing since June of 2004 to the tune of nearly 100 with whatever happens to survive without consideration million dollars. There were four holdouts: The Main to the role that the particular building played in the Street Adult Superstore, The Desert Manor Apartment history of Las Vegas. House, The Schofield Professional Center and the Koala Apartments. XYZ Properties seemed rather annoyed at In the not-so-distant future there will not be a single the holdouts claiming in a recent Review-Journal article example remaining of the homes that once filled the vast that they are “designing the live-work project around majority of what was the original town-site. The borders those parcels, leaving the holdouts with sites now worth of the “Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite” stretched from a fraction of what they were offered.” 1 Main Street to Las Vegas Boulevard and from Stewart Avenue to Garces Avenue. The core of the town-site Within this area are some of the oldest structures in the operated on a concept that people worked and lived in Las Vegas Valley, some of which were the first-ever to the area: a concept that we currently hear as a new be built on the lots upon which they now stand. As innovation. The area consisted of roughly 80% example these houses, which can currently be found at residential and 20% business use. the corner of First Street and Bonneville Avenue, can be seen in the circa 1911 photograph at right. This acknowledgement of the eminent loss of history is in part informational and in part cautionary. At this point it is undetermined how much time will pass before the homes and businesses in this area will be demolished. As usual the news of the loss has occurred so late in the process that it will be difficult to properly document the remaining structures. Currently the majority of the properties are easily identified by the boarded up windows and the extensive chain link fencing that has encased the buildings, thus eliminating the option for even proper photographs. Collection of historical information will commence and I will attempt proper photographic documentation of the area. If any one has There should have been, could have been, a portion of contributions; the railroad cottages were deserving of the residential district preserved for further generations this gesture. Historically the railroad cottages are easily a to experience what the living conditions were in the hundred times more significant to the community than pioneering days during the birth of the city. Each and that of the federal courthouse and just a few years ago a every one of these residential homes has a remarkable row of seven on Casino Center Boulevard could have history that could have been detailed and experienced by been purchased and used by community organizations future generations. As a community we are destroying for less than one-million-dollars. As the photograph these resources at an alarming rate. Much of this is below depicts all the city could muster was a sign of understandable in an economic sense and we see this significance while they oversaw the removal and course as certain for most properties on the Las Vegas destruction of the actual railroad cottages. Strip, but hey, even Caesar’s Palace saved their original tower during recent remodeling. The Downtown area is a totally different animal that can not seem to define or revive itself. Apart from a handful of properties the Downtown area of Las Vegas has been outright disrespectful of the history and patterns that precede the current situation. It might be seen as some sort of “Pioneer Curse” that has plagued an area struggling to find the success of its counterparts in the gaming and business world. The Downtown area is desperately lacking any cohesive strategy and when supposed progress takes shape it is usually at the hands of out of state developers who will not provide long term solutions. In a rather self-serving move the City of Las Vegas has chosen to preserve the Federal Courthouse, with plans to spend $27.4 million in the process. While the courthouse It is important to remember that the license plate fees is worth preserving in a general sense it did not share a that are collected under the promise of historic unique experience with this community and is near preservation are still taxpayer funds even if they are identical to other depression-era courthouses across the voluntarily given and with this comes some country. If a courthouse was to be saved it should have responsibility and accountability. The hope is that at been the County Courthouse built in 1914. At the core of some point some of those funds, which have exceeded the Federal Courthouse project you will find the source two-million-dollars, will be used in a representative of the Downtown woes. If we look past the fact that the fashion by preserving a few small buildings that embody rehabilitation project seems to be a “temple in waiting” the characteristics of the small town life that once for Mayor Goodman’s proclamation of the world’s inhabited the area. Yes, I am dare saying that the money greatest profession, we find a conflict over the buildings generated by taxpayers should go beyond preserving future use. The argument stems from a community that another #*!%#* government building and the elected wishes to see a museum of local history and elected officials need to look beyond their self-serving desires officials who want to see a museum of mobsters to cater and leave a representative history of the pioneers that to tourists. The Centennial Celebration failed miserably struggled to build this spectacularly diverse community. in most areas because of this same approach. Instead of If there is one community on earth that should not be celebrating as a community the centennial committee defined by government shrines, this is it. Where is the focused on serving prospective visitors. Did it ever occur leadership and imagination on this issue? Before it is too to anyone that tourists would be interested in a late there needs to be some action to preserve something legitimate celebration? of the sort that can be found in the five-block area that is about to be demolished, or do we wish to see a At $27.4 million the courthouse project is way off the continuation of “The Pioneer Curse” if future use does scales for a community that in the same breath struggles not include a tribute reflective of the origins of this great to save even the smallest of structures. While the federal city? government will be a source for some of the funding, a 1 one-million-dollar donation was recently made towards Smith, Hubble Investors have plot for downtown. Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 9, 2006 pg 1d. the project from your license plate fees. It seems rather ironic that the abundant support from everyday people Joe Thomson’s opinion should not be construed as an official PACC position. We offer it as another perspective for your consideration. Contact him at was not put to use to save something respective of their [email protected], or PACC, P.O. Box 96686, Las Vegas, NV 89193—ed. The mysteries at Kiel Ranch www.pacc.info now live City will respond at July 19 City Council meeting PACC has a newly designed website By CORINNE ESCOBAR The Preservation Association of Clark County has recently implemented a new website that will offer the most recent news on preservation issues in the county and state. In addition to standard features such as the historic guide, calendar and links to related events and organizations, new features include an expanded photo gallery were visitors can view past and contemporary images of historic sites. Comments can be posted for visitors to express their opinions on preservation related issues, and members may conveniently renew or join for the first time online. A very important aspect of the new site is the ability to access past issues of our newsletter. The history of preservation and Clark County in general, will be available at the click of a button. Our newsletter archive For decades the mystery at Kiel Ranch was who shot dates back to 1977 but it will take some time to scan and Archibald Stewart. Then it was the Kiel brothers, upload the entire collection. We hope to accomplish this William and Edwin, whose murders were also never feat within a year. At present, we have past issues solved. It is even still a mystery as to the identity of an available online from 2004.