Park latest addition to downtown culture boom

Erin Neff

Friday, July 28, 2000 | 11:11 a.m.

Culture on Las Vegas Boulevard downtown?

If you think that's just a giant oxymoron, look a little more closely at the boulevard between Bonanza Road and Washington Avenue.

The city's "cultural corridor" is beginning to emerge as museums, a historic site and now a new park join other civic amenities in an attempt to get passing motorists to actually stop and walk around.

"I was told 11 years ago about a cultural corridor coming to this stretch," said Marilyn Gillespie, director of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. "Now it's becoming a reality.

"There's a wonderful presence here now," she added. "A real statement."

On Saturday, city and cultural leaders will celebrate the grand opening of downtown's first new park. Heritage Park, located next to the Natural History Museum and near the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, will open to the public during a 9-11 a.m. ceremony.

The $1 million park, built by the city, caps a $6 million overhaul of the area that includes state-funded upgrades to the fort site and private sector improvements to the history museum.

"When you just look at how beautiful the park is you just say wow," said City Councilman Lawrence Weekly, whose ward includes the corridor. "If we could just take that whole area from Washington on up that would be great."

Councilman Gary Reese said the new park is designed to tie into the whole corridor, including Cashman Field, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, the Reed Whipple Cultural Center and a nearby library, senior center, gymnasium and municipal pool.

"I think it's going to make a lot more people come downtown and see things," Reese said. "I'm just tickled to death."

Heritage Park features a picnic area, playground equipment, restrooms, desert landscaping and parking.

Those who attend Saturday's grand opening will be treated to free admission to the fort site, refreshments, raffle prizes and mining and fossil activities for children.

The park, with climbable camels and gorillas ringing the play area, replaces Lions Park, which was paved over to make way for the Sawyer State Office Building.

Although Heritage Park's 5 acres pales in size to the once expansive 24-acre Lions Park, officials say the new recreation area is more user-friendly. Lions Park had become a campground for homeless people before the state built the Sawyer building.

"I hope people really start to appreciate downtown," said Stacy Allsbrook, spokeswoman for the city's Leisure Services division. "It's a really cool place if people would just pay attention."

Gillespie's museum, built in 1960, would like some of that regard.

"The difficulty has been getting people down here," she said. "But now with the improvements and the Neon Museum coming, it's beginning to look like the cultural corridor it's supposed to be."