Artist may work on LV City Hall

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 9:50 a.m.

Spanish artist Cristobal Gabarron, who has done work for the Olympics and the European Union, may create some original artwork that would have a permanent place in a new Las Vegas City Hall.

Mayor Oscar Goodman said Thursday that Gabarron has offered to work for free so long as someone else provides the materials.

"He wants to be part of Las Vegas," Goodman said.

The mayor said he envisions Gabarron-created stained glass windows being featured in a rotunda in a new City Hall.

A new City Hall is planned to be part of the development on the city-owned 61 acres on the western edge of downtown. The 61 acres is also planned to be home to an academic medical center, a performing arts center, residential and office high-rises and possibly a baseball stadium.

The medical center would be anchored by an Alzheimer's research center, which has tapped world-famous architect Frank Gehry to design the building. Gehry is known for such work as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

The city and real estate development giant The Related Cos. are currently negotiating a development agreement for the 61 acres, which was once part of the Union Pacific rail yards.

Goodman and City Council members have said they support building a new City Hall on the 61 acres, instead of moving ahead with plans to expand the existing City Hall on the corner of Stewart Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

Boston-based architect Howard Elkus and Goodman have been in discussions regarding the design of a new City Hall. The mayor said he hopes Elkus and Gabarron will work together on the project.

Gabarron's work includes designing the Official Commemorative Stamp of the International Year of Peace for the World Federation of United Nations; the "Twelve European Muses," which is housed in the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels; numerous works for the Olympics including the poster for the Winter Olympics of Salt Lake City 2002, and "The Spirit of the Olympic Games," which was created for the 2004 Olympics in Athens; as well as a two-story tall mural called "A Tribute to the Human Spirit," displayed at the American Sport Art Museum and Archives in Alabama.