Armory ready to give ground to redevelopment

Erin Neff

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

The symbolic crunch of a bulldozer didn't raze the old Las Vegas Armory, but it did lift spirits Wednesday morning on a now-decrepit lot that will soon be the cultural gateway to East Las Vegas.

City officials joined with residents and business owners to celebrate the start of an $8 million to $10 million project that will create a cultural gateway to East Las Vegas where once only guns and heavy artillery resided.

Demolition of the gray eyesore with broken windows and no hope for restoration will begin next week. The project will break ground in September or October.

"To me this is the Summerlin project of East Las Vegas," City Councilman Gary Reese said. "This project will be the nucleus of the neighborhood."

In 1948 the city struck an agreement with the National Guard to purchase the land at the corner of Eastern and Stewart avenues for $1. Since the city assisted in funding the original Armory building, the contract allowed ownership of the building to revert to the city if the National Guard ever left.

When the National Guard did leave in 1997, city officials began working with residents and business owners in the largely Hispanic neighborhood to find common ideas to revitalize the site.

When completed -- in about two years -- the East Las Vegas Business and Cultural Center will include a theater, retail space, a senior center and a small business center.

The project will stretch three blocks along Eastern, from Stewart to Mojave Road, and will feature Spanish-motif architecture fitting the neighborhood.

The entire project will be master-planned. As a result, elements will not be added piecemeal as afterthoughts.

Don Casey, 70, a retired Nevada Test Site worker who lives nearby, said he's been waiting for years for something to happen at the site.

"This is a great location and it's going to help the whole neighborhood," Casey said. "I'm also thrilled to have something for the senior citizens here. It's something we've all wanted for a long time."