Editorial: A fitting rejuvenation

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004 | 8:59 a.m.

Last week the Las Vegas City Council approved placing the historic Fifth Street Grammar School under the jurisdiction of the Las Vegas Redevelopment Authority. The City Council's action means that the former school will be eligible for redevelopment funds, which likely would be used to lure arts-related businesses to the site.

The elementary school, a Spanish-style structure that opened in 1936, educated many of the city's early residents. After the school was shut down, it has been home to government offices for some 40 years. Its latest incarnation is a fitting one considering its roots: It will be a redevelopment project centered on fostering the arts, literature and intellectual thought. The plan calls for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' School of Architecture to increase its space at the school. Other university programs could be located there, too. Also, an urban market with a bookstore and coffee shop could end up at the 37,000-square-foot building.

Las Vegas, which next year celebrates its centennial, hasn't always done a good job of preserving its past. We're glad, then, to see the city preserve this historic building and work to make it a marketplace of ideas. This is just the kind of redevelopment project that the downtown area needs.