Culture
Restoring order in the court
The newly opened Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas counts guns, photos and jewelry among its treasured artifacts, but the greatest artifact may be the building itself. The historic neoclassical structure at 300 Stewart Ave. was rescued from the wrecking ball and given a second life.
Originally designed by Treasury Department architect James A. Wetmore, the building opened on November 27, 1933 — just eight days before Prohibition was repealed. It was the city’s first federal building. The Beaux-Arts classical-style structure served as both a post office and federal courthouse, hosting the infamous Kefauver trials on organized crime from 1950 to 1951. Now the terracotta brick building has been painstakingly returned to its Depression-era appearance. A small army of design specialists led by the Phoenix office of Westlake Reed Leskosky oversaw the renovation.
“The classical detailing reflects the Treasury Department’s architectural taste of the 1890s and 1900s,” says Paul E. Westlake, the firm’s managing principal. “The original character of the building acts an exhibit in itself.”
The exterior was restored with a limestone base, original loggia entrance and granite paneling, while copper flashings, windows and a metal canopy were replaced. The interior boasts crown molding and wrought iron railings that employ French and Italian baroque and rococo styling, with conservative modern lines. A neglected, remodeled second-floor courtroom was meticulously returned to its original appearance with genuine furniture and finishes based on Wetmore’s conceptual blueprints, as well as decades-old photos, newspapers and drawings.
“We uncovered enough clues to recreate what was missing,” Westlake says. “For example, we made the lighting fixtures from scratch using the architect’s original drawings.”
But the renovation isn’t completely stuck in the past. The project’s biggest challenge was to meet modern building codes while still adhering to federal historical guidelines. The steel-skeleton structure, for instance, underwent a comprehensive seismic retrofit that strengthened aging walls with concrete and steel. More than 9,100 pounds of rebar were added to beef up the building. The design team also had to find space for modern lighting, mechanical systems and technology without dramatically altering an eight-decade-old landmark.
“The museum is safeguarding a part of Las Vegas’ physical history through the rehabilitation of the post office and courthouse,” says project consulting architect Robert J. Chattel with Chattel Architecture, Planning & Preservation. “The building is not only significant for its architecture reminiscent of the period in which it was built, but also for the historic events that unfolded inside of it.” To let such a building fall into disrepair would be a crime.
[HEAR MORE: Creative Director Dennis Barrie takes you inside The Mob Museum on " KNPR's State of Nevada."]
music
Personal notes
Kicking off with brand-name headliners and Broadway powerhouses, The Smith Center has officially landed as our new cultural mothership. But there’s a smaller monthly gig at the new venue that packs plenty of its own punch: The Composers Showcase. The monthly event offers Las Vegans a rare treat: hearing Strip performers from marquee productions belt out tunes they penned themselves.
“I know it’s sort of a cliché to say we’re a best-kept secret, but we really are,” says Keith Thompson, conductor for “Jersey Boys” and host and director of The Composers Showcase. “We don’t have a PR campaign, and we’ve never really been aiming for huge commercial success. We mostly promote through word of mouth and some email.” Behind the low-key approach is some high-grade talent. At Composers Showcase, you might catch a “Phantom” lead unleashing a torch song, the musical director of “Le Rêve” flexing his vocal chops or even Clint Holmes polishing up new work. The monthly showcase, which has quietly bobbed around local bars, restaurants and museums for the last five years, is part workshop, part talent show and part artistic release valve for Strip talent.
Finding a home at The Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz room was natural: Smith Center Vice President and COO Paul Beard is a longtime fan of the showcase.
“You’ve got performers in town who are slamming in eight, 10 shows a week on the Strip, and that’s good work, but it can get repetitious,” says Beard. “The Composers Showcase provides a creative avenue, with the prerequisite that these performers bring their ‘A chops.’ It’s really opened a wellspring of concentrated talent, people who perform songs that often come from a deep and personal place.”
Better yet, the showcase plans to help out select nonprofits with donations of show proceeds — meaning that supporting local talent will also support a good cause.