Las Vegas Home Architecture
Las Vegas is a city with an ever-changing style and numerous themes making it hard to find much historic architecture in Las Vegas, especially on the Strip. The city is known for transforming itself every few years. However, there are still a few surviving buildings noted for their significant architectural achievements. One of these is the old Las Vegas High School known for its art-deco architecture. Today the school has become the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts but retains the stucco frescos of plants and animals that adorned the original. The Golden Gate Hotel was the site of the first telephone in Las Vegas and is Las Vegas’ oldest hotel/casino. The hotel was built downtown in 1906 and it still features its original rustic design. The Huntridge Theatre was built in the 1940’s and was the first non-segregated theatre in Las Vegas. Though the Huntridge was primarily a movie theatre, it also hosted musical concerts prior to closing in 2004. The historic theatre is one of the only modern-style buildings that is still standing in Las Vegas.
The Moulin Rouge was only open for a short time but it gained notoriety as the hangout of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack and, like the Huntridge, it was one of the first interracial hot spots in the city. The building was completed around the same time as The Dunes but it was far more significant architecturally. It has an aesthetically appealing modern style unlike the El Cortez or The Golden Gate from the same period. One of the only historical buildings left on the Strip is the lobby of the La Concha Motel. Built in 1961 by renowned architect Paul Revere Williams, the motel portion of the building was torn down in 2003 but the lobby has been turned into the sales office for the soon-to-come Waldorf Astoria Residences.
