Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Sun editorial:

Swoop Building’s grand opening is a welcome embrace of Las Vegas’ past

Swoop Building

An artist’s rendering depicts the Swoop Building, home to a Roberto’s Taco Shop and a Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop at 4700 S. Maryland Parkway.

It’s called the Swoop Building, and its grand opening today will be the latest development in a refreshing trend in Las Vegas.

The building is adjacent to the Huntridge Shopping Center and is named for the shape of its roofline, which somewhat resembles an S turned on its side. The design pays tribute to the midcentury modern architecture that was prevalent in Las Vegas during its Rat Pack days, when the Huntridge Shopping Center was new.

The Swoop Building is one of several new or renovated structures, mostly in the midtown area, that are challenging Las Vegas’ reputation as a place with little regard for preserving its past.

Swoop Building grand opening

Where: Charleston Boulevard and Maryland Parkway

When: 4:30- 7:30 p.m. today

Food and drink: The Swoop houses two restaurants that will be giving away food — Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop (free Bobbie sandwiches) and Roberto’s Taco Shop (up to three free chicken tacos or one bean and cheese burrito). In addition, the nearby Huntridge Tavern and Circle K convenience store will offer free hot chocolate and water, respectively.

Special guests: Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., is scheduled to be on hand (the Huntridge is in her district), as are Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz.

The developer, J Dapper, also restored the Huntridge plaza and two other structures in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, less than a mile north, downtown Las Vegas continues to undergo a revitalization thanks to similar restoration projects undertaken in recent years. One of the newest additions came on line in late 2019 with the opening of Fergusons Downtown, which transformed the dilapidated 1940s-era Fergusons Motel into a fresh and modern plaza featuring dining, nightlife and retail along with an event space.

Projects like these are a delight to see in a city where, for many decades, the attitude toward development was “out with the old and in with the new.”

Now, thanks to developers like Dapper and the partners behind Fergusons — Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and Jen Taler — more people are recognizing that the rich history of Las Vegas is worth preserving.

Make no mistake, they’re also proving that investing in the city’s core can pencil out business-wise, which makes sense considering the ever-rising costs of developable land on the city’s outskirts versus the relatively low values of older properties.

Since purchasing the Huntridge Shopping Center in 2015 and bringing it back to life, Dapper has done well enough to take on the Swoop Building project and also launch an initiative to restore the historic Huntridge Theater across Maryland Parkway from the plaza.

Further, he’s partnered with residents in the area on a mural project and efforts to revive Huntridge Circle Park.

All of this is magnificent in terms of improving the quality of life in the neighborhood, reducing crime and blight, and raising property values. Commendably, the city of Las Vegas is supporting Dapper as part of its Project Enchilada master revitalization plan for the central valley.

Meanwhile, homeowners also are increasingly seeing the value of historic preservation, and the value proposition of properties in older neighborhoods. A recent report from the real estate researcher SalesTraq showed that resale values in a portion of the 1960s neighborhood Paradise Palms rose at the highest percentage in the entire valley last year — 25%. At the same time, residents in that area are nearing the finish line in an effort to get a historic designation for a second portion of the neighborhood after obtaining the first one in 2017. In doing so, they would preserve Paradise Palms’ trove of midcentury modern homes.

It’s a healthy movement. The city boasts a variety of buildings and homes that are architecturally and historically significant, so protecting them and surrounding them with new structures that fit with their design is a worthy cause.