Post office open for tours

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 | 8:12 a.m.

To celebrate the centennial, the city of Las Vegas opened the downtown historic post office and courthouse on Stewart Avenue for the month of May.

Docent-led tours begin today and will give visitors the chance to see the interior of the building made famous by the Tennessee senator, Estes Kefauver, who held hearings on organized crime at the courthouse.

The building, owned today by the city of Las Vegas and renamed POST Modern, closed in January and has been undergoing renovation to be used as a cultural facility that will offer roughly 17,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Listed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places, it was built in 1933 as the city's first federal courthouse and served as a post office until January.

Nancy Deaner, manager of the cultural affairs division for the city of Las Vegas, said the city saw the post office as a great tie-in to the centennial.

"Everybody has worked really hard to get it ready," Deaner said. "And it's only open during the month of May." Scheduled tours, she said, may continue past May.

On Wednesday its Community Conversation series begins with "Frontier Justice," a look at the history of Las Vegas' judicial system moderated by former senator Richard Bryan.

Events during May include:

Docent tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

"Vegas VIP," featuring vintage postcards, historic photographs and artifacts, will be on display through May.

Los Angeles site-specific dance group, Collage Dance Theatre, will perform at the post office at 7 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Friday.

Community Conversations will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the remaining Wednesdays in May. The panel discussions focus on the growth of Las Vegas from the eyes of the legal community, the black community, labor unions and women in commerce.

Gala to honor the career of the Honorable Lloyd D. George will be from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. May 14. The evening includes music by Count Basie's Orchestra and singer Nnenna Freelon. Tickets are $300. Dinner will be catered by Andre's French Restaurant. For ticket information on the gala, call 229-5902.

Most of the events are free. For information, call 229-6792 or 229-1767.