Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

5-MINUTE EXPERT:

Where the past resides: Touring local neighborhoods with historical patina

neighborhoods

Paradise Palms neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nev. on Nov. 8, 2014.

A unanimous vote by the Clark County Commission in February made Paradise Palms the latest historic neighborhood in Southern Nevada. The designation affected more than 200 homes and represented two years of work by residents and the Nevada Preservation Foundation to get the community recognized.

Whether the distinction is on the local or national level, historic areas are especially precious in Las Vegas, and some of them are hiding in plain sight.

Berkley Square Historic District

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Joseph Watson designed a series of banners commemorating Berkley Square which are displayed throughout the West Las Vegas.

• Where: Roughly bounded by Byrnes Avenue on the north, D Street on the east, Leonard Avenue on the south and G Street on the west

• What’s There: The district includes 148 contemporary ranch homes constructed in 1954 and 1955. They were designed to the standards of the Federal Housing Administration, understated structures separated from the sidewalks by strips of grass. From the carports to the façade finishes, their details vary in style. But original roofs were covered in white rock, a popular feature in the ’50s and ’60s.

• Notable Because: It was the first subdivision in Nevada to be built by and for black residents, and since 2012, it has been marked by bronze plaques and banners designed by local artist Joseph Watson. The neighborhood itself was designed by LA architect Paul R. Williams, who was the first African-American to be elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (he also designed the Guardian Angel Cathedral and the La Concha Motel lobby, now the visitors center for the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas).

• Pedigree: Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009

Las Vegas High School Neighborhood Historic District

• Where: Roughly bounded by Lewis Avenue on the north, Ninth Street on the east, Gass Avenue on the south and Sixth Street on the west

• What’s There: Single-family residential structures built between 1928 and the onset of America’s involvement in World War II. The neighborhood contained most of the homes built in Las Vegas during that time period, and more than a dozen are on the city’s official walking tour, representing a range of architectural styles — Spanish colonial revival, ranch style, vernacular-moderne, Tudor/bungalow, French eclectic, Pueblo and more. The neighborhood’s namesake on Seventh Street, the Las Vegas High School Academic Building and Gymnasium, is on the National Register of Historic Places for being “the only art deco structure in Las Vegas.”

• Notable Because: It is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods within the city of Las Vegas.

• Pedigree: Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991

John S. Park Historic District

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A view of Mary Dutton Park on Charleston Boulevard Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. The 0.2 acre site has a sculpture, Breaking Ground" by artist Steven Liguori, and serves as the gateway to the Historic John S. Park neighborhood. STEVE MARCUS

• Where: Roughly bounded by Park Paseo on the north, Ninth Street on the east, Franklin Avenue on the south and Fifth Place on the west

• What’s There: The historic district features two subdivisions. The first, Park Place Addition, has homes built in the 1930s and 1940s in the period revival style, which is characterized by Tudor and colonial elements such as steeply pitched roofs, half-timbering, double-hung windows with multiple panes, and accentuated entrances. The second subdivision, the Vega Verde Addition, reflects ranch and minimal traditional houses built in the 1940s and 1950s. Homes here are typically one-story and feature low-pitched roofs and broad, rambling facades with a horizontal emphasis.

• Notable Because: The John S. Park neighborhood was one of the city’s original subdivisions. Its namesake arrived in Las Vegas in 1907.

• Pedigree: Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003

Beverly Green Historic District

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A well-preserved house in the Beverly Green neighborhood in the shadow of the Stratosphere.

• Where: Roughly bounded by Oakey Avenue to the north, St. Louis Avenue to the south, Sixth Street to the east and Rexford Drive to the west

• What’s There: A collection of mostly custom homes constructed between 1952 and 1963. This is seen as the beginning of an era when prominent architects built homes for the well-to-do and middle class. It’s a mix of three different types of mid-century modern styles. International came out of 1920s- and ’30s-era Europe as the precursor of the modern style, the stripped-down structures employing glass, concrete, steel and “floating” features meant to suggest weightlessness. Ranch is the dominant mid-mod style, favoring low facades and expansive glass in homes made of wood and stucco, brick and stone. Minimal traditional houses were often built for workers during WWII and feature pitched gable roofs and double-hung, multipane windows.

• Notable Because: Past residents include casino owners (Dean Shendal, Frank Schivo) and entertainers (Louis Prima and Keely Smith).

• Pedigree: Designated a historic district by the city of Las Vegas in 2016

Paradise Palms I

Paradise Palms

Patrons tour a home that is for sale on Spencer Street in the Paradise Palms neighborhood during a midcentury modern bus tour of homes in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 28, 2012. Launch slideshow »

This spring, advocates of expanding the Paradise Palms Historic Neighborhood Overlay began polling residents to the east of the current zone about their interest in pursuing historic status.

• Where: Roughly bounded by Desert Inn Road to the north, Commanche Drive to the south, Spencer Street and Seneca Drive to the east and Oneida Way to the west

• What’s There: The majority of the homes were designed by California architects Dan Palmer and William Krisel, who were well known for their work in Palm Springs. When people hear “mid-century,” this neighborhood is often what comes to mind — sprawling ranch homes with a variety of decorative elements such as wood screens, walls of brick and textured concrete, asymmetrical rooflines, wild paint colors and wide eaves.

• Notable Because: It is the region’s first master-planned community and was home to many famous Las Vegans, including Debbie Reynolds, Dean Martin, Howard Hughes, Dinah Shore, Juliet Prowse, Tony Spilotro and Phyllis Diller.

• Pedigree: Designated a historic neighborhood by Clark County in 2017

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