Preserving Las Vegas' Midcentury Residential Neighborhoods

In a region infamous for blowing everything up and starting over again, a growing constituency is interested in preserving the residential neighborhoods of yesteryear.

1 minute read

August 22, 2016, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Recent preservation efforts in Southern Nevada have focused on neighborhoods built during or right after World War II, as they harbor midcentury modern architecture or earlier styles and echo a pivotal era in Las Vegas," reports Jackie Valley.

"The value [in midcentury neighborhoods] is less about any individual home and more about the collective feeling," writes Valley. "Front porches. Carports. Decorative breeze block. Wood siding embellished with stone and brick. Intricate metal fences lining front yards."

Preservation efforts in Las Vegas are gaining steam, according to the article. "This month, the Las Vegas Planning Commission approved a request from the Beverly Green Neighborhood Association to become a historic district." If the full council approves the district in September, "Beverly Green will become the second neighborhood to earn the designation since John S. Park did in 2003," writes Valley.

In the process of telling the story of Las Vegas preservation, Valley speaks with representatives from the Nevada Preservation Foundation, Historic Preservation Commission, and the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors—who all make the case for the benefits of neighborhood preservation.

Monday, August 15, 2016 in Las Vegas Sun

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Graphic illustrating street with various lanes designed in Streetmix.

Reimagining Your Street

How to use free online tools to redesign your local streetscape.

January 3, 2025 - Urbanism Speakeasy via Substack

Sprawl

Research: Sprawl Linked to Poverty

Low-income families living in high-sprawl neighborhoods are limited in their access to education, jobs, and other amenities, often trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

January 6, 2025 - Science Blog

For Lease painted on window of vacant commercial space.

2024: The Year in Zoning

Cities and states are leaning on zoning reform to help stem the housing crisis and create more affordable, livable neighborhoods.

January 8, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of pedestrian and bike traffic light turned green.

‘Safe Land Use:’ A Key to Road Safety

How approaching transportation planning through a public health lens can reduce traffic deaths.

1 hour ago - Streetsblog USA

Fast-moving traffic lights on freeways in Washington, D.C. with Washington Monument in background at dusk.

A Potential Path for Road Pricing in DC

How might cordon pricing impact DC drivers and transit users?

2 hours ago - Greater Greater Washington

Grandfather and young girl sitting on park bench.

Nature and Nurture: Understanding the Diversity of Biophilia

Biophilia, originally thought to be an innate and universal love for nature, is now understood as a temperament trait with significant individual differences influenced by genetics and experience.

3 hours ago - Psychology Today

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.