Las Vegas officials court Smithsonian partnership

Erin Neff

Friday, Nov. 17, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

The Stewart Avenue post office could be placed in any East Coast downtown and would blend immediately with other neo-colonial facades.

But in Las Vegas, the building is something of an anomaly -- a striking old structure in the shadow of Fremont Street's neon.

Mayor Oscar Goodman now envisions the post office building as exhibit space for a Smithsonian Institution Affiliation program, which would lend artifacts -- possibly from the sports world -- to a city thirsting for culture.

Smithsonian officials began discussing the possibility Thursday during a day-long tour of Las Vegas museums and a town hall meeting with about 50 museum representatives.

"Las Vegas might be on the verge of something very, very exciting," Goodman said, holding up a drawing of the post office building the city hopes to lease from the federal government.

Initially Goodman proposed creating an actual Smithsonian museum in Las Vegas, but the colorful towers of the Excalibur hotel-casino likely will be the closest the city gets to its version of the turrets of the institution's Washington, D.C., castle.

The world's largest museum has no plans to open Smithsonian West any time soon, and to gain a museum, the Las Vegas would have to have Congressional approval. But on his first visit to Las Vegas this week, the Smithsonian's J. Michael Carrigan told local museum officials they were welcome to build a consortium to partner with the institution and receive exhibits.

The Las Vegas Art Museum on West Sahara Avenue is already a Smithsonian Affiliate, with plans to house Smithsonian art in its own gallery in about three months.

Although Las Vegas isn't known for museums, it has plenty ranging from the truly Vegas Liberace Museum to the Cold War-era Red Flag Museum at Nellis Air Force Base.

"We have 141 million artifacts, and we have less than 2 million on display at any given time," said Carrigan, director of the Smithsonian's Affiliations program. "It's basically wrong to keep these things on the shelves collecting dust."

Museum officials attending the information meeting at City Hall on Thursday exchanged business cards with Goodman and pledged to work together to examine joining the Affiliation program.

"I would like to propose and hope that this dialogue continues after today," said Sandra Harris, executive director of the Liberace Museum.

The Smithsonian currently has 62 affiliate displays nationwide, including the one finalized Thursday with the Las Vegas Art Museum.

By late 2001, the Smithsonian will contribute artifacts from the Cold War era to the nuclear age to the Nevada Atomic Testing History Institute in North Las Vegas.

Carrigan discussed several affiliates who specialize in musical or historic topics. Affiliates in New York and Kansas City, Mo., each have jazz exhibits.

"Are there any sports museums?" Goodman asked.

When Carrigan told him there weren't, Goodman pumped his fist in excitement.

"That seems like a natural for us," he added.