Preserving Vintage Vegas Homes Important for Las Vegas History
While most people think of the bright lights and gambling when they consider Las Vegas, there are still places in Las Vegas where there are large yards full of flowers and trees. These historic, vintage Vegas homes feature lawns where families gathered to watch mushroom clouds in the desert and casinos being built more than 50 years ago. While the Strip was being built, the growing postwar community lived in Old Vegas neighborhoods. These communities embody the history of Las Vegas and are the focus of preservation efforts.
Preservation Efforts Focused on Neighborhoods
The neighborhoods built during or right after World War II are the focus of recent preservation groups. These homes feature midcentury modern architecture or earlier styles and they are a very important part of Las Vegas history. Each home is part of a whole with its carport, front porch, and metal fence, which makes it fit perfectly into the neighborhood. Heidi Swank, founding director of the Nevada Preservation Foundation said, “We can look at this neighborhood and say, ‘There were people who lived here in the 1950’s…People of our past.”
Old Las Vegas Neighborhoods Seeking Historic Designation
One such area, Paradise Palms, was the first master-planned community in the area and it is seeking designation as the first history neighborhood in Clark County. Another neighborhood, Beverly Green, is trying to be included in the Las Vegas Historic Property Register. They have been approved by the Beverly Green Neighborhood Association and only need final approval from the City Council in September. All but two homes in Beverly Green were built between 1951 and 1964 and most have retained the look of the era they were built in. Most homes were custom and feature vintage Vegas touches.
Most people do not even realize that neighborhoods like these exist. The historic designation can help make more people aware and it can raise property values. However, it will be a very particular group of buyers who be interested in these neighborhoods. That is okay, though. To preserve the neighborhood, only particular buyers are wanted, as the goal is to preserve the integrity of the structure of the homes. Exterior features are addressed via guidelines to ensure that the era is maintained.
Homes like these deserve a historic designation. They offer a great view of a time gone by and help others learn more about a segment of history they may otherwise know nothing about.