His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia performs a ceremony during the groundbreaking for St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church in Las Vegas on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011.
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Clark County Planning Commissioners approved Tuesday night the designs for a new Armenian church to be built near the intersection of Desert Inn Road and Burnham Avenue within Winchester.
Two years after purchasing a half-acre parcel of land for a new church, Parish Council President Andy Armenian broke ground on the St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church Thursday.
The church, located at 2054 East Desert Inn Road near the Eastern Avenue intersection, will be Nevada’s first Armenian church.
“We have been holding our services in different locations and it was time for us to have our own home,” Armenian said. “It was a dream that we’ve been after for the past 10 years.”
For the past couple of years, services have been held in one of two structures on the new property. Before that, Armenian said the church was run out of a rented room at a Lutheran church on Sahara Avenue.
The design for the more than 3,500-square-foot church is based on traditional Armenian architectural features dating back more than a thousand years.
“We forget how many diverse religions we have in this community,” said Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who supports Armenian’s efforts to give his church a permanent home. “This will give them visibility. This will help us support and applaud the multiculturalism of Las Vegas.”
She said the church filled a once-empty lot in an older part of town.
“I think it sets a tone,” Giunchigliani said. “It will help that neighborhood.”
The land for the new site was purchased in 2009 and the Clark County Planning Commission approved plans for the church in December.
Back then the church, which conducts sermons in Armenian, had only 60 members. Armenian said the congregation has grown close to 150 weekly members.
“Now that we’re building it, we hope that people will more regularly come to church,” Armenian said.
The church seats about 150 people. Armenian doesn’t plan on an influx of visitors but is prepared if the church can no longer hold its growing membership.
“We’ll have multiple services if that happens,” he said. “Morning and noon, to deal with an increase in the congregation. Anyone who wants to come and visit will be welcome.”
Construction for the church is slated to start in late November and Armenian plans to hold the first service at the end of next year.
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