CITY OF HENDERSON Historic Preservation Plan Adopted June 3, 2014 On the cover: Swearing in of Downtown Aerial View of the Henderson’s first Henderson, circa Basic Magnesium Townsite and Plant, Mayor, Dr. James 1956. taken July 28, 1942. French, 1953. Senator Pat McCarran visits the Basic Henderson City Hall, circa 1961. Magnesium factory, 1945. All photographs courtesy of Henderson District Public Libraries’ Digital Collections CITY OF HENDERSON HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN Prepared for: City of Henderson Community Development and Services Department 240 S. Water Street P.O. Box 95050 MSC 115 Henderson, Nevada 89009-5050 Prepared by: . Jennifer Gorman, M.H.P. Historic Preservation ASM Affiliates, Inc. 432 E. 27th Ave. Spokane, Washington 99203 (509) 991-6136 and Shannon Davis, M.A. Historic Preservation ASM Affiliates, Inc. 260 S. Los Robles Ave. Suite 106 Pasadena, California 91101 (626) 793-7395 March 2014 ASM PN 20490.01 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS City of Henderson Public Partners Mayor and Council Henderson Historical Society Andy A. Hafen, Mayor Lou LaPorta, President, CEO Gerri Schroder, Councilwoman, Ward I Alice Martz, Vice President Debra March, Councilwoman, Ward II Robert Kasner, Treasurer John F. Marz, Councilman, Ward III Valerie LaPorta-Haynes, Board Secretary Sam Bateman, Councilman, Ward IV Michele (Shelley) Watson-Aguiar, Recording Secretary Planning Commission Lynn Starr, Director Michael Campbell, Chairman Denell Hahn, Director Joe Belingheri, Vice-Chair Kent Dawson, Director George Bochanis, Commissioner Rick Watson, Director Sean Fellows, Commissioner Tina Smith, Director Todd Howell, Commissioner Mary Monahan George, Director Jerry Mansfield, Commissioner Dan Stewart, Commissioner Clark County Museum Mark Hall-Patton, Museums Administrator City Manager’s Office Jacob L. Snow, City Manager Henderson District Public Libraries Bristol S. Ellington, AICP, ICMA-CM, Candace Kingsley, Gibson Library Branch Assistant City Manager Manager Fred Horvath, Assistant City Manager Tracy Bower, Senior Director, Public Affairs Special Mention and Economic & Cultural Development Courtney Mooney, AICP, City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Officer Community Development and Services Department Stephanie Garcia-Vause, AICP, Director Tracy Foutz, AICP, Assistant Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services Barbara A. Geach, Neighborhood Relations Manager Michael Tassi, AICP, Planning Manager Sean Robertson, AICP, Principal Planner Michael Husted, Housing and Grants Coordinator Paul Andricopulos, AICP, LEED AP(BD+C), Planner, Project Manager Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 HENDERSON’S HISTORIC PRESERVATION VISION STATEMENT............................ 1 PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 2 Public Meetings ......................................................................................................... 2 Previous Surveys ....................................................................................................... 4 2. ENABLING LEGISLATION .......................................................................... 11 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES PROTECTION ACT OF 1979 (ARPA), .................11 AS AMENDED ...............................................................................................................11 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION ACT OF 2009 (PRPA) ............12 NEVADA REVISED STATUTES ....................................................................................12 THE NEVADA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE (NV SHPO)....................13 3. HENDERSON HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN RELATIONSHIP TO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2009 ................................................................... 15 4. DESIGNATION OF HISTORIC RESOURCES ............................................. 17 5. HISTORIC PRESERVATION ISSUES IN HENDERSON ............................. 19 ISSUE 1: NEED FOR A CITY-WIDE HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT AND INTENSIVE SURVEY ....................................................................................................19 ISSUE 2: HENDERSON AND THE RECENT PAST ......................................................20 ISSUE 3: NEED FOR A HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE ............................20 6. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND TASKS .......................................................... 21 GOALS ..........................................................................................................................21 Goal #1: Develop historic preservation standards that address the unique needs of the city. ....................................................................................21 Goal #2: Identify places and structures of historical significance that help define a sense of place...............................................................................23 Goal #3: Foster public understanding and involvement in the unique architectural and cultural heritage of the City. ................................................23 Goal #4: Promote the private and public use of historic places and structures for the education, appreciation, and general welfare of the citizens of Henderson. ..............24 7. FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................. 27 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................... 29 APPENDIX A. Public Meeting Results APPENDIX B. List of Parcels for Future Intensive Evaluation APPENDIX C. Previous Surveys Map APPENDIX D. Historic Context APPENDIX E. Glossary of Terms City of Henderson Historic Preservation Plan i Table of Contents LIST OF MAPS Page Map 1. Project area map, indicating properties in Henderson constructed prior to 1970. ....................... 7 Map 2. Map of properties identified by priority. ......................................................................................... 9 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Overview of Previous Surveys of the Basic Magnesium Townsite neighborhood in Henderson, Nevada ...................................................................................................................... 5 Table 2. Schedule for Completion of Goals, Objectives, and Tasks ........................................................ 26 ii ASM Affiliates, Inc. 1. Introduction 1. INTRODUCTION HENDERSON’S HISTORIC PRESERVATION VISION STATEMENT As a battle-born city in a battle-born state, the City of Henderson is a unique place with a unique history. It is necessary to preserve our historic places for future generations, while allowing our city to grow and evolve. To know our city’s past is to understand our city’s future. This vision statement describes the mission and purpose of the City of Henderson’s Historic Preservation Plan. It is the touchstone of the city’s preservation plan and should guide all future preservation efforts in the City. PURPOSE The City of Henderson has a rich history that dates to the early twentieth century and this heritage is tangible in its cultural resources such as buildings, structures, objects, and sites. In 2012 and 2013, the City of Henderson received grants from the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office to complete a Historic Preservation Plan that will develop preservation goals, tasks, and objectives regarding its potential historic and cultural resources. The purpose of this Historic Street layout of Basic Townsite homes and BMI Preservation Plan is to set forth policies and a course plant. Courtesy of UNLV Special Collections. of action for the treatment of these resources. Henderson’s identity as a city can be traced to World War II when the community developed as part of the Basic Magnesium plant that employed workers to produce magnesium for the war effort. The city was incorporated not long after the end of World War II in 1953. It is located at the southern edge of the Las Vegas Valley, and at the turn of the twenty-first century, it was part of one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. This boom in population has resulted in new development for the city, and a new focus on what to do with the older buildings, structures, and places in the community. The preservation of these important places in El Dorado Casino in downtown Henderson. Henderson will provide future generations tangible evidence of the history and heritage of the city. Historic places portray the unique aesthetic character of a city and serve to educate and be enjoyed by its citizens. Additionally, historic preservation can provide economic benefits for a community through tourism, tax incentives, and adaptive use and rehabilitation. This historic preservation plan provides a background on previous historic preservation efforts by the city, a brief administrative history of national and state historic preservation legislation, an analysis of historic preservation issues that Henderson faces, and a list of goals and task items to implement a new historic preservation program in the city. City of Henderson Historic Preservation Plan 1 1. Introduction BACKGROUND Public Meetings The City of Henderson is embarking on an effort to establish a well-defined historic preservation policy. To do this, the city held a series of public meetings to gather input that