Mob Museum’s $300,000 grant largest in county

Museum orginally asked for $900,000; $200,000 went to the Neon Museum

Steve Marcus

A poster in a pedestrian walkway at Las Vegas City Hall chronicles the history of the old post office and federal courthouse building, left, the proposed site of the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, commonly called the “mob museum.”

By Cy Ryan (contact)

Friday, March 13, 2009 | 10:55 a.m.

The mob in Las Vegas

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

Interactive: Mob Ties from the Sun’s history project

Mob museum walks on public tightrope (2-3-09)
Several cities seek stimulus money for museums (2-3-09)
City sewer fund has $148 million — a good place to steal money for a mob museum (1-28-2009)
$80 million bet on development is risky (1-28-2009)

CARSON CITY – The so-called Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas is going to receive a $300,000 grant toward restoration from the state Commission on Cultural Affairs.

The museum in the old Las Vegas Post Office received the largest grant from the commission, which approved money for 28 projects.

Ron James, administrator of the Historic Preservation Office, said three other Clark County projects received money from the commission during its meeting in Carson City.

The Mob Museum originally asked for $900,000 but then pared back the request to $500,000. James said it should open in 2010 or early 2011.

The next largest grant of $200,000 went to the Neon Museum, nicknamed the Neon Bone Yard, in Clark County. The museum stores historic neon signs and has been used by Hollywood in dozens of movies.

North Las Vegas received $120,000 to help restore the Kiel Ranch Adobe that dates back to the 1850s.

The commission allocated $108,000 to the Las Vegas Water District to buy four railroad cottages that were built near the turn of the century. They will be moved to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

And the “Million Dollar Courthouse” in Pioche will receive $125,000 to restore its roof. The courthouse, built in 1873, was the legal center for all of Southern Nevada until the creation of Clark County in 1909.

These historic sites and buildings asked for $6 million but the commission had only $3 million in bonds to finance the projects aimed at preserving historic buildings and archeological sites.

Discussion: 8 comments so far…

By Journey

3/13/09 at 11:58 a.m.

Suggest removal

Wonderful! $300,000 to help build a museum to glorify thugs. I suppose NV doesn't have anything else more important to spend money on?
By gold1020

3/13/09 at 12:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

Truly a dumb idea. The concept of a mob museum is just stupid & idiotic. Most people will have no interest in going to this type of museum.
By boftx

3/13/09 at 1:09 p.m.

Suggest removal

Clearly there was little support for an art museum, at least this one ties to the roots of what makes Las Vegas what it is.
By gqbossing

3/13/09 at 1:49 p.m.

Suggest removal

Popular movies such as Casino, Goodfellas and the Sopranos would beg to differ.

This is a brillian idea, millions of people would love to see the history of how such a unique city as Las Vegas came to be.
By tvegas

3/13/09 at 2:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

Cultural Affairs? Las Vegas? ROFLMAO
By neiman1

3/13/09 at 4:48 p.m.

Suggest removal

How about a museum to the capitalist who built this country and this city. They are a doomed species but lack protection of the EPA.
By Sunlizard

3/13/09 at 4:57 p.m.

Suggest removal

Let's put a statue of Oscar Goodman in the museum!
By MichaelGreen

3/13/09 at 5:06 p.m.

Suggest removal

I am not going to try to argue with whether you like or dislike a mob museum. But since I am a researcher on it, let me say this again: it does not glorify the mob. If you believe that, that is the kind of logic that would lead you to argue that the Holocaust Museum glorifies the Holocaust, and I hope no one would think or want that.

« Previous Ten Next Ten »

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question