Join us as we separate myth from fact, share stories of the men and women who helped build the town and celebrate one of the most fabulous cities ever built!
Congrats to Michael Cornthwaite and the Huntridge Revival Group! They have managed a major breakthrough!
The Las Vegas Centennial Commission has awarded a $1 Million grant to the Historic Huntridge Revival Group!
This means that work can continue on saving the building and renovating it!
Today's Preservation Spotlight shines on Courtney Mooney, the Preservation Officer for the City of Las Vegas. May is Preservation Month and this year we are talking to some of the preservationists, archivists and historians whose work towards saving our history isn't always acknowledged.
We've worked with Courtney on a number of projects related to our Classic Las Vegas preservation project, so we were very happy when she agreed to be interviewed.
CLVBlog: How did you become interested in preserving Southern Nevada history?
Mooney: As a native Nevadan, our state’s history holds a special place in my heart. That being said, I’m addicted to all history, including archaeology and natural history, because it explains everything about who we are as individuals and as a community, why we are here at this very moment, and how we can create our own legacies.
Read MoreThe whimsical neon fish that has long advertised Davy's Locker bar on Desert Inn near Maryland Parkway is endanger of going dark forever and possibly being replaced by generic strip mall sign.
Erin Ryan writes in Las Vegas Weekly that the concern is more than just preservationists and lovers of neon fish being hyperbolic. Ryan writes of the concerted effort by Cindy Slight and others to keep the whimsical neon fish going.
“It’s so sad. It’s sad for me as a native; I mean my grandfather went to that bar. And it’s sad for me as the bar owner, because we don’t even look open at night,” says Cindy Slight, who started managing Davy’s in 2006 and worked her way into partnership and finally ownership. But she doesn’t own the property or the sign, a relic she says draws all kinds of people to stop and snap photos. At night, though, when bars make most of their money, the almost entirely burned-out banner has the opposite effect. “The sign kind of went the way of the economy at the time,” Slight says, “and so it’s just been an uphill battle ever since.”
There was a victory in that uphill battle, albeit brief. “Davy” has gone dark before, and in 2011 the neon was restored with the help of a generous bar patron. But when the lights started flickering again about five months later, Slight discovered that the $3,100 they’d paid didn’t cover any kind of maintenance. Davy’s Locker is ’60s-era, complete with Rat Pack lore, but Slight says the property owners aren’t local and favor replacing the classic sign with something generic. “So much of old Vegas is gone. You have to really look hard to find the little pieces that aren’t. That’s one of the things I love about Davy, and to see that go …”
Read MoreWanted to let everyone know that PACC is holding their annual meeting next Saturday, Nov. 13th, at the Springs Preserve.
The Ice House, demolished
From Corinne Escobar:
PACC members and friends, the Preservation Association will host its fall meeting at the Springs Preserve on November 13, 2010, Saturday at 11:00 am. We will walk the trail to the Big Springs site guided by Greg Seymour, who was the archaeologist during the construction of the Springs Preserve. The tour is free but please RSVP to me at corinneescobar@pacc.info. I am not sure about the logistics for refreshments but we will see. Anyone wanting to help, Please contact me! Thanks, I look forward to seeing you there, Corinne
