Las Vegas self-guided tour #5: South Las Vegas / created by the Architecture Studies Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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Self-guided tour #5: South Las Vegas 1. Spring Valley Library
2. Clark County Inspections & Satellite Permit Facility
3. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department MetroComm and Radio Services Center II
4. Clark County Fire Station #11
5. All Sport Arena (formerly "All-American SportPark")
6. McCarran International Airport, Satellite D Terminal
7. Enterprise Library
8. MJ Dean Office Complex (2003)
9. South Strip Transfer Terminal (2003)
10. Marnell Corrao Corporate Office Building (2002)
11. Little Church of the West (1942)
12. Las Vegas Monorail Passenger Stations
13. City Center Sales Office (MGM)
Print driving tour pamphlet: southlv05.doc Note: to print file choose landscape orientation

1. Spring Valley Library Architect(s): Gary Congdon and Welles Pugsley Architects (addition) Address: 4280 S. Jones Blvd. Year: 1985 and 2001 Spring Valley Library is currently the Library District's oldest library and doesn't have quite the same design pizzazz as the other branch libraries. The building has undergone an interior and exterior facelift by Welles Pugsley Architects. Some exterior changes included a coat of beige paint and bright primary-colored shapes painted on the entrance columns. The most interesting architectural feature of the building is the entrance. A horizontal, semi-circular mass with red tile and cutouts is held up by tall triangular columns. This combination of forms clearly defines the main entrance. Some of the exterior walls feature large rectangular panels with deep reveals and both smooth and rough textures Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
2. Clark County Inspections & Satellite Permit Facility Architect(s): Welles Pugsley Architects Address: 4701 W. Russell Rd. Year: 2001 This building will eventually house more than eight Clark County facilities, but currently accommodates the Building Inspection Division and a satellite Permit Application Center. The 49,400 square-foot facility was intended to be a "showpiece for building code compliance" by demonstrating the proper implementation of building codes and regulations. The building also responds to the desert environment through its "folding" building forms, reminiscent of tectonic activity that is similar to the forces that shaped nearby Red Rock Canyon. The color of the cor-ten steel of the building and the uniqueness of the northeast corner signage makes this project stand out. This project won an AIA Award in 2001. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
3. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department MetroComm and Radio Services Center II Architect(s): KGA Architecture Address: 4591 W. Russell Rd. Year: 2000 This 31,200 square-foot facility replaces the existing MetroComm and Radio Services Center to better serve Clark County's growing population by providing a vital link for police communications. Entrances are clearly marked with angled building forms and metal roof accents. Canopies and shading devices over the windows are also used to control solar gain. The different forms of the building and the exterior colored blocks create contrast and texture, helping to establish a rich and warm environment. The building was designed to comfortably fit its environment in accordance with Clark County design standards. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
4. Clark County Fire Station #11 Architect(s): Carpenter Sellers Associates Address: 5150 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Year: 1996 This 10,700 square-foot fire station is located on the famous Las Vegas Strip just south of the major casinos. To help establish its own identity, the building's façade features a large tower with signage, a long entrance canopy, and a bright palate of colors. As a nice detail, the canopy has a hole cut out of it for the flagpole to rise through. The project was intended to create personality and identifiable traits for this fire station. The irony is that this building has become a prototype for many other stations within Clark County. This project won a Western Mountain Region Design Award and two AIA Nevada Design Awards. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
5. All Sport Arena (formerly the "All-American SportPark") Architect(s): Swisher & Hall Architects Address: 121 E. Sunset Rd. Year: 1998 The All Sport Arena includes the indoor pavilion and the Callaway Golf Center next door. The Pavilion Building has over 95,000 square-feet of space and features numerous recreational activities inside. The project is intended to appeal to both locals and visitors with its indoor and outdoor attractions. The checkerboard design on a major wall, the bright neon signage, and stadium motif all relate to the sports theme of the complex. The project is of note because there are no other facilities of this size in Las Vegas with such a variety of amenities. Unfortunately, the SportPark has had financial trouble and has had a change of ownership and name. This project won a 2000 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) Spotlight Award. This building, in 2008, was acquired by the Las Vegas Art Museum, with plans to move to the redesigned facility sometime in 2009. JMA Architecture Studios are designing the remodel project. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
6. McCarran International Airport, Satellite D Terminal Architect(s): Tate & Snyder (now Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects) Address: 5757 Wayne Newton Blvd. Year: 1998 The Satellite D Gates have doubled the capacity of air travelers that the airport can accommodate while providing a contemporary, cutting-edge identity to the aging airport. The terminal creates distinct experiences for arriving and departing travelers through its sequencing of spaces and special design features. These include a Great Hall with a massive window wall, neon signage, a terrazzo map of southern Nevada on the floor of the rotunda, and sixteen tile murals created by local school children depicting major destinations. The control tower design was to FAA design standards, which define the floor plan layout, sectional relationships and dimensions, angle and type of glazing, number of mullions, and cones of visions for the new tower. Generally architectural design options for this type of facility are limited to the tower leg structural systems and the exterior cladding of the tower. This building has won multiple AIA Nevada Design Awards and an AIA Western Mountain Region Award. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
7. Enterprise Library Architect(s): Domingo Cambeiro Corp., Architects Address: 25 E. Shelbourne Ave. Year: 1996 The exterior of this 26,500 square-foot library features repetitive design elements. Three white, hollow, square forms with pyramid roofs act as a gateway to the entrance. Another taller white mass with a pyramid roof comprises the lobby of the building. The building has portions that are stepped in plan to resemble a saw tooth formation. The repetitive forms allow for extra windows and niches within the interior space. Enterprise Library features a brick exterior unlike the typical stucco façade Las Vegas is known for, which sets it apart architecturally from the other County libraries. Photo provided by Liz Fuentes (July 2003).
8. MJ Dean Office Complex (2003) Architect(s): YWS Architects, Inc. � Jon Sparer and Eddie Cervantes Address: 5005 W. Patrick Ln. , Las Vegas NV The design intent was to design a unique building complex utilizing reinforced concrete tilt-ups as the major building component while maximizing lease space, plus balancing the parking and landscaping requirements established by Clark County . Buildings A and B are 27,215 sf and 9,188 sf, respectively. This project won the 2003 AIA Nevada Citation Award in the Built category. Photo provided from ASL Special Collections
9. South Strip Transfer Terminal (2003) Architect(s): KGA Architecture � Craig Forrest and Kent LeFevre Address: 6375 Gilespie, Las Vegas NV This 16,000 sf pre-cast concrete building makes for an efficient, yet dramatic bus transportation hub for the southwest Las Vegas Valley . Preservation of supervisory sight lines was the overriding design challenge on this long and narrow site. This project won the 2003 AIA Nevada Citation Award in the Built category. Photo provided from ASL Special Collections
10. Marnell Corrao Corporate Office Building (2002) Architect: Marnell Architecture � Mitch Trageton Address: 222 Via Marnell Way , Las Vegas NV This 50,000 sf building serves as the corporate headquarters for a large design/built firm. The design intent is to reflect a new corporate identity and create a strong statement about them without overpowering the character of the individuals within. The owner wanted a functional working environment for the various business divisions designed to reinforce the interaction between the company's various departments. This project won the 2003 AIA Nevada Merit Award in the Built Category Photo provided from ASL Special Collections
11. Little Church of the West (1942) Architect(s): Zick and Sharp Architects, and William J. Moore Address: 4617 Las Vegas Blvd. S. This Neo-Gothic, wood-framed church was designed for exclusive use as a wedding chapel. The dark-stained cedar board-and-batten siding and minimal decoration are reminiscent of churches in western frontier towns. California redwood siding clads the interior walls and is used in the altar's construction. The chapel survival has resulted from its small size, making it easily movable from its original site. Built in 1942, the chapel was original at the Last Frontier Casino on the Strip. In 1954, the chapel was moved to another part of that property. In 1979, the chapel was moved to the Hacienda Hotel (where Mandalay Bay Resort is now). In 1996, the chapel was moved to its current location in preparation for the implosion of the Hacienda Hotel. Photos provided by Paulette Nelson (July 2004)
12. . Las Vegas Monorail Passenger Stations (2004) Architect: Gensler of Nevada Address: Various Locations along the Monorail The project goals were to provide a vibrant, comfortable and convenient environment for visitors as well as help provide greater mobility and connectivity within the resort corridor of Las Vegas . The project was developed on a Design-Build, fast track basis � on time and on budget performance was critical due to the project being privately funded. In addition, the design allows for potential sources of revenue generation, including branding, advertising and sponsorship of the trains and stations.
13. . City Center Sales Office (MGM) (2007) Architect: J.W. Zunino & Associates Address: 3780 Las Vegas Boulevard S. Las Vegas, NV The goal of the project was to achieve a unique experience, different from the surrounding typical hotels, condos, resorts and casinos of Las Vegas. A system of terrace retaining walls planted with specimen plants and mature trees separates the building from the roadway. The design forces users to experience the landscape with bamboo matures, decorative walls and other types of trees strategically placed to frame various sculptural spaces one after the other.

Sources:
Anderton, Frances, and John Chase. Las Vegas:A Guide to Recent Architecture. London: Ellipsis London Limited, 1997.
Las Vegas American Institute of Architects Design Awards Archives
Nicoletta, Julie. Buildings of Nevada. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

© UNLV ASL
Tour pamphlets prepared May, 2003 by Liz Fuentes, UNLV School of Architecture Graduate Student
Revised 6/04 by Ernie Podaca, UNLV School of Architecture Graduate Student

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