LAS VEGAS | Union Park Development News

[Superfish]

Union Park Development
Las Vegas's New Master Planned Downtown Core

For decades, a 61-acre plot of land sat vacant and forgotten directly in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas. Formerly owned by the Union Pacific Railroad (hence the name) and thus unable to be developed, it was all but forgotten.

Now Las Vegas and its self proclaimed "happiest mayor" Oscar B. Goodman seeks to cement his legacy by finally developing this increasingly valuable land by commencing the Union Park Master Plan.

Consisting of numerous parcels of land, it will be home to a variety of civic, cultural, retail, office and residential uses, including high rise offices, a hotel, performing arts center and possibly a new city hall.

Summoned from far away lands, the gathering of vastly different personalities, including a celebrity chef who wants his own hotel, an architect known for his twisted building styles, and a bunch of jewelry fanatics make it clear the Union Park is serious business.

Upon its completion Union Park will be a city in itself as well as a gathering place for the 2 million residents of the Vegas Metropolitan Area and catapult Downtown Vegas into the future.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/6199/titledt1me2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
*The above is a building massing, not actual final plans. The approximate heights are accurate as well as location, but designs and uses are not. If all the buildings looked exactly the same like that it would be pretty boring!

Looking Southeast
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/5268/y7y7cx4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Downtown Overview:
World Market Center (http://www.lasvegasmarket.com/) - Massive Furniture Trade and Convention Complex.
JUHL (http://www.juhl-lv.com/) - Midrise Condo
SOHO (http://www.soholoftslv.com/) - Highrise Condo *There is a webcam on top of this building that you can control! - SOHO WEBCAM (http://live6.truelook.com/face/newface.jsp?func=live&name=/ecodb/lvsoho&overlay=default&skin=Juhl&useapplet=true&time=1160157439314&width=640&height=480&quality=65&catalogname=catalog&preset=LIVE/Juhl)
Newport (http://www.newportloftslv.com/) - Highrise Condo
Molasky Corp Center (http://www.molaskyco.com/gov-srv/molasky-cc.html) - recently completed office building, first one for downtown in quite a while, LEED certified.
Streamline Tower (http://streamlinetower.com/) - Highrise Condo

* The three long tents to the right of the World Market Center are temporary space for the Market Center. They are some of the largest tents in the world.

Looking Directly North
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/194/downtownpanoyd3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Project Details
This is a master plan project by many developers and not a singular project, thus facts and figures are subject to change as new project components are announced.

Union Park is a 61-acre mixed-use urban development in downtown Las Vegas, located east
of I-15, north of Charleston Boulevard.The site is bordered on the east by the Union Pacific
railroad tracks,west and north by Grand Central Parkway, and south by Bonneville Avenue.
Spurred by rapid development already taking place on the strip the Union Park project is considered by the development community as the single most
important element of the current and future revitalization and redevelopment of downtown
Las Vegas. An infill site, the 61-acre Union Park land is surrounded by existing major
development, including the World Market Center (12 million square feet at build-out), Las
Vegas Premium Outlets (435,000 square feet) and the Clark County Government Center
(385,000 square feet). While an extension of existing downtown Las Vegas,Union Park is
being designed as its own destination, a place that will appeal to those seeking an urban
experience or lifestyle in an authentic downtown environment.

Divided into 4 "districts. The project core is anchored by the proposed Smith Center for Performing Arts, to be envisioned in an iconic structure similar to the Sydney Opera House. Next to it is the aptly named Symphony park, a plaza at the center of the plan. Directly to the east is the site of the proposed new city hall. Across from the arts center is the location of the Palmer hotel. At the northern end the 57 story jewelry Center will stand. The Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute will anchor the southern end.

Districts:
Civic District
• Organized around a civic sized park; to serve as focal point for civic and cultural uses,
including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and future arts-related venues
and experiences.
Specialty District
• Hospitality, specialty retail, hotel and entertainment uses.
Residential District
• Planned as true urban neighborhood with variety of housing types, including
apartments, condominiums in both low- and high-rise configurations; street-level
brownstones,walk-ups and mid-rise mixed-use with retail on the first level.
Medical/Office District
• Anchored by Lou Ruvo Brain Institute with office and clinic space to support medical
and general uses

Purpose: The site is planned as a progressive, pedestrian-oriented,mixed-use urban center.
Size: 61 acres
Location: Google Map Centered on Park Location (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=las+vegas&ie=UTF8&ll=36.1701,-115.151042&spn=0.00382,0.007296&t=k&z=17&om=1)
Land Owner: City of Las Vegas
Master Plan Manager: Newland Communities
Proposed Usages:
* 1.9 million square feet of Class A office space
* 363,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space
* 3,100 high-rise residential units
* 15,800 parking spaces contained within vertical structures
* New hotel/casino
* 1,750 hotel rooms
Websites:
http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/7598.htm
http://www.unionparkvegas.com/


Maps
Master Plan
http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/3333/parkmapni8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

District Layout
http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/2899/image1qn5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Symphony Park
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7756/image10xp7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Other Renderings

Symphony Park Looking east... This is Vegas, Palm Trees are god and will Proliferate.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6181/2rw17ghxg8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4575/40bed7aey0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A Quiet Walkway..with Palm Trees
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9231/2evqhedzf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Project Lineup

World Jewelry Center (http://www.worldjewelrycenter.com/)
A trade center for jewelry in a 57 floor iconic tower.
http://i18.tinypic.com/6t4rmzk.jpghttp://i17.tinypic.com/6wpdehh.jpg

Status: Proposed
Location: Parcel E
Type: Retail and Trade/Office Tower/with Condominiums
Architect: Altoon + Porter
Interior Area: ~1 million sq. ft.
Height: 800ft/57 story


Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute (http://www.keepmemoryalive.org)
A state of the art research center designed by Frank Gehry.
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/2977/brainnm7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/502/ruvocntermb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/3050/keepmemoryalivecenterby6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Status: Under Construction
Location: On its own parcel, next to Parcel A on map.
Type: Medical Research Center
Architect: Frank Gehry
Interior Area: 67,000 sq. ft.
Height: 5 story


Smith Center for the Performing Arts (http://www.lvpacfoundation.org/)
A signature center for performing arts and a new symbol of downtown Las Vegas.
http://i24.tinypic.com/o5ug54.jpghttp://i20.tinypic.com/34e57y0.jpg

Status: Proposed
Location: Parcel H
Architects: (Building) David M. Schwarz / Architectural Services, Inc., (Interior) HKS Architects Inc.
Type: Performing Arts Center, Centerpiece of Union Park Master Plan


The Charlie Palmer Hotel (http://www.charliepalmer.com/palmerhotel/home.html)
A boutique luxury non-gaming hotel by the famous chef.
http://i24.tinypic.com/358ubg2.jpg

Status: Proposed
Location: Parcel G
Type: Boutique Hotel
Rooms: ~400
Height: N/A
Features: Two Charlie Palmer Restaurants, spa...

[-Corey-]

one of my favorite proyects in Las Vegas.

[mdiederi]

Lou Ruvo building.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Gehry1-1.jpg

[Superfish]

To this day I still wonder why Gehry was allowed to put his twisted designs on an Alzheimer's center. A museum or office is one thing but this seems counterintuitive.

Interior shots of the model by mdiederi a while ago....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/gehry-hp.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/186275647345630be8c32d1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/79331699745630c527207a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/13538703545630cd924c75.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/209199775745630db83139c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/149760241545630eb06bd58.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/71171442345630d485f885.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/41095508345630dda4457c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/32863053645630d111670d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/1245014945630e249a0df.jpg

[DrT]

^^
This design will help the researchers.
If you can find your way around in this building, it is proof that you DON'T have Alzheimer's.:lol:

[Superfish]

wow never thought of it like that.

Perhaps Gehry...a genius ahead of his time in more fields then one? ha!

[mdiederi]

The side that the patients will enter looks like this.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/11642108645630f57916a2.jpg

Those photos of the interior model aren't mine, found them on the keep memory alive website
http://www.keepmemoryalive.org/about_us.php?sub=gallery&PHPSESSID=1c3d16b9e134dffa7b1ff57b03b92e4c

I did take these photos though of an early Gehry model of the Union Park site back when it still had an arena in the plans.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/renders/UP3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/renders/UP2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/renders/UP1.jpg

[Sbz2ifc]

Interesting project. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the particular building designs.

Btw, SOHO Lofts looks horrible. What's with the bottom part? Parking space?

[mdiederi]

Interesting project. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the particular building designs.

Btw, SOHO Lofts looks horrible. What's with the bottom part? Parking space?
Yeah, parking. It's supposed to be art deco, but the art deco embellishments are almost invisible even when you're standing right in front of it, and they forgot to paint the bottoms of the balconies.

[Superfish]

Interesting project. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the particular building designs.

Btw, SOHO Lofts looks horrible. What's with the bottom part? Parking space?

I would have to agree it's pretty ugly as well but guess you got to give it credit for being downtown's first new high rise condo. Sam Cherry the developer was ahead of this time in taking the chance to build downtown as opposed to on the strip like the other highrises.

SOHO was first followed by Newport and Streamline just topped some weeks ago.

The boom of highrises on the strip is mostly for tourists and out of towners. Many strip condo towers are empty most of the time even. The downtown condos are geared towards locals more and will be occupied by full time residents.

His third tower, (will be next to Newport) - Stanhi is actually quite nice.

http://www.stanhi.com/

[Sbz2ifc]

I agree... Stanhi looks ok, but it would look better if they used glass cladding on the bottom part. I guess it's Sam's way of saving some money :)

[zerokarma]

Looks interesting

[Chris85]

This is a great project! I really like the look of the World Jewelry Center. I don't think it's stated in this thread, but does anyone know approximately how long its going to take for this project to be completed as a whole?

[Superfish]

This is a great project! I really like the look of the World Jewelry Center. I don't think it's stated in this thread, but does anyone know approximately how long its going to take for this project to be completed as a whole?

Here you go, read up. This is a more in depth overview brochure of Union park. Warning - PDF file.
http://www.unionparkvegas.com/UPMediaKit022307.pdf

As common sense dictates, Union Park can't be completed if developers don't add more projects to it. The last one was the Palmer Hotel announcement which was a while ago.

[Chris85]

^^ Thanks for the link, Superfish. I'll take a look at it.

[Jim856796]

The plans for Union Park show that the Plaza Hotel and Casino (both towers) should be destroyed. They've lived 22 years and now they must go.

[Superfish]

Article About Downtown, the Mayor's Involvement in it and Union Park.

Well if indeed 14 parcels have been "spoken for" that's incredible. They must have been doing stuff behind the scenes, we didn't hear about it. Union park is practically filled up already.


Today: July 28, 2007 at 7:16:57 PDT

Development's big man on campus

Investors say they're writing big checks because of Oscar Goodman

By Joe Schoenmann
Las Vegas Sun

There was a time, less than six years ago, when downtown Las Vegas residents had to sidestep spent condoms near the curb outside their homes.

Many too were the stories of hookers who, taking on the persona of Blanche DuBois, would go door to door, offering their services in a "I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers" demeanor.

And in the summer of 2001, 9/11 ring leader Mohammad Atta must have so appreciated the isolation and obscurity of downtown that he spent a few comfortable nights in the EconoLodge on Las Vegas Boulevard, just south of Charleston.

Downtown Las Vegas seemed to always be an official afterthought, an unofficial dumping ground. Carson Avenue and Seventh Street was hooker central. Walking through the now-boarded up El Cid, you'd be lucky not to step on a spent hypodermic needle. No one knew or cared what happened anywhere east of the Fremont Street Experience.

And then this happened.

Somehow the city created believers in downtown. Maybe not yet believers of the Summerliners or the Green Valleyites. But perhaps more important at this stage of the city's redevelopment, people with bushels full of money to invest are believers.

And to a person , this is what they say:

None of it would have happened without the man holding the bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin, Mayor Oscar Goodman.

"It's Oscar and the team he put together . And, in terms of cheerleading or boosting, he's nonpareil . He is the best."

Those are the words of Barnet L. Liberman, a New York financier who says he is bound not to talk about projects he is working on in downtown Las Vegas, but acknowledges that the amount he is investing goes way beyond first intentions.

"I don't think I would have invested half the money I invested in Las Vegas were it not for the confidence I have in the institutions ( Goodman) leads," Liberman said. "He's just built a terrific team over there."

It's impossible to deny the transformation that downtown Las Vegas is undergoing.

Last week, the city began negotiating with REI Neon, which wants to buy 85 acres of radiator shops, furniture stores, art galleries and other businesses southwest of Main Street and Charleston Boulevard.

Though some are skeptical - even Goodman still sees it as a long shot - REI Neon wants to build an arena to house a basketball or hockey team, along with a casino, condos, retail space and exhibition halls. The announced price tag was $9.5 billion until Goodman said on a radio program Friday it had risen to $10.5 billion.

Then there's Union Park, on the so-called 61 acres site just west of the Plaza hotel. Just a few weeks ago, steel girders forming the frame of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, designed by Frank Gehry, began rising from the southwest corner of that property.

Dan Van Epp who, as president of Newland Communities' Mountain Region, is tasked with managing and developing Union Park, says 14 of 16 parcels of Union Park "have been spoken for."

"And the development effort on all of Union Park begins in earnest in November," Van Epp said. "A half-dozen buildings will be under construction by this time next year."

But it's not just the mega-projects that downtown Las Vegas is seeing. SoHo Lofts, the first high-rise condo project, is done and sold near Charleston and Las Vegas boulevards. Another high rise by the same developer is almost finished just a few blocks away.

Streamline tower, another condo project, is going up almost directly across the street from City Hall on Las Vegas Boulevard. Juhl is another high rise midway through construction.

And even Fremont Street East - or the Fremont East Party District or Fremont East Entertainment District, whatever you prefer to call that part of Fremont east of Las Vegas Boulevard that isn't under an electrified canopy - is getting new life.

Tiny bars like The Griffin and Downtown Cocktail Room opened this year and are seeing a lot of business. A sign on a vacant store across the street from The Griffin says a franchise coffee shop will be there soon (though the coffee shop owner said talks have stalled), and the V Club is being built inside the former Metro fingerprinting building at Sixth and Fremont.

True, Neonopolis remains the big orange three-story dream that is now an empty eyesore . You'll also struggle to find a grocery store within a few miles of this burgeoning area, despite the city's best efforts to almost give away land for that purpose.

"Naysayers," as Goodman calls them, might point to the failure of Neonopolis as downtown's failure - and Goodman's failure.

But Liberman tells another story.

Last fall, Liberman invited Goodman to New York to talk to some of the biggest money people in the world about "the real story in the city of Las Vegas."

Lehman Br s . , Bear Stearns, The Carlyle Group, "all the major banks and financial houses," as Liberman puts it.

"These are some pretty tough, savvy financial people, probably the toughest and most savvy in the world," he said.

And Goodman wowed them.

"Everyone walked away with a new impression of what's really happening and understood the dynamics, and all of it was because of his presentation and the support of the professionals he has working in City Hall," Liberman said.

Liberman, 61, has worked in real estate since 1969. He's credited with being the first to see the potential and investing in the then-new concept of lofts in the then-rundown SoHo District in Manhattan. He said he works all over the country . But in his decades in the business, he's never worked with anyone as accommodating or with a city with fewer turf battles among agencies than Las Vegas.

"And what people may not understand or know is, he really listens. It would appear that he really talks," Liberman said , adding that he was talking on the phone while holding a paper fan adorned with Goodman's face on one side and the logo of the city's business development office on the other. "But he really listens."

When asked whether that's different from his experience in other cities, Liberman laughed .

"I've done this in many cities and I have actually given his phone number to other mayors as an example of how they should organize themselves to encourage development," Liberman said. "And that includes New York."

Liberman is not alone in his sentiments. Developer after developer contacted by the Sun said the same thing, even those who publicly rued the day Goodman became mayor.

Like Van Epp.

"He said I'd set back Las Vegas 100 years," Goodman said of Van Epp. "Now he's my greatest supporter."

Van Epp, the former president of Howard Hughes Corp., admits that he "was not one who believed that his prior practice as a defense attorney largely for Mafia clients was necessarily a good thing for Las Vegas."

But Goodman's enthusiasm was infectious.

"I don't know how more fundamentally I can say it, but I believe he made a difference," Van Epp said. "He has a message about downtown and he has stayed on that message."

And still, some are bound not to give the mayor credit. Of course developers are lavishly praising the mayor, they say. They smell the money to be made downtown.

Jeremy Aguerro isn't a developer, though. He's the guy developers turn to when trying to decide whether the projects that look so promising on paper will succeed if they are built. His company, Applied Analysis, is one of the most respected sifters of economic indicators and trends in the state.

And this is what Aguerro said about the mayor and his staff :

"As weird as this sounds, and beyond financing and economic requirements, he has put together a brilliant team that understands business," Aguerro said. "As well as any city in the country, they get it. Oscar gets it.

"I don't think you can understate how important that is to the community and to businesses developing and relocating."

But is it Goodman? Is he really "the man," as many developers call him?

"When the history is written, it will probably come down to a fine line between right place/right time and right guy/right time," Aguerro said.

"That said, and with the group the mayor has down there, and from a guy who works with businesses who want to relocate, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's done it better."

[Superfish]

Drove by today.

Lou Ruvo - 4 floors up. Note the elevator to the right.
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/6404/stevedsci0085ri1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The fence around the site is now covered with lots of nice Union Park banners too. (No new renders though)

[VegasCharlie]

[QUOTE=Superfish;14451569]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/gehry-hp.jpg


This is by far my favorite new building for Vegas. It's nice to see something other then 600+ ft square boxes comeing out of the ground.
In 10 years this will be, with the addition of a completed Union Park, an amazingly full area, and I believe the Alzheimer's center will be the cherry on the top!!!

[Superfish]

I agree I love seeing it go up, it's only four stories tall but what it lacks in height it gains from being the first project to be realized at Union Park as well as its worthy cause of researching an important disease affecting many people. The fact that it looks like a cheese grater designed by Gehry is icing on the cake.

The Ruvo Center is certainly an architecturally significant project and a welcome change from hotel towers.

But then again, Union Park is much more than just another megaresort. As the Ruvo center shows, it is more than a focus on gambling and other tourist oriented activity as strip resorts do so well; instead it will be providing medical research, art via the performing center as well as provide residential, to mostly locals. Tourists will visit too of course but it will also be a place for residents of this suburban metropolis to experience (or even call home) a slice of the urban environment that people in other older cities take for granted as second nature.

[Superfish]

Related note, I have been checking the main Union park site for a while, the site that is now shown on banners on the fencing around the Ruvo site. nothing yet but I am expecting them to update it soon on more recent renders of the projects and site, seeing that the Sun article said 14 parcels were already accounted for.

http://www.unionparkvegas.com/

It says website coming soon and it's already halfway thru the summer.

[Superfish]

Going Green


Mayor Goodman Announces The Acceptance Of Union Park Into The Pilot Program For LEED For Neighborhood Development


Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and Steve Rypka, member, board of directors, U.S. Green Building Council - Nevada Chapter, announce today the acceptance of Union Park into the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Union Park is the 61-acre, mixed-use master-planned urban center currently under development on land owned by the city of Las Vegas in the heart of downtown. Union Park is the only project in Las Vegas participating in this national pilot program.

The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national rating system for neighborhood design. The program is a collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

“We are pleased to be a part of the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program, particularly as Union Park is the only such Las Vegas project announced to date,” said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman.“Union Park is a development whose time has come in Las Vegas. It is playing a central role in the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas and by embracing environmentally sound development practices, is forging new ground for ‘green’ neighborhood development in our valley.

According to Rita Brandin, vice president and development director for Newland Communities, the national real estate development firm retained by the city of Las Vegas to act as development manager for Union Park, the 10-million-square-foot,mixed-use project is creating an in-town culture, entertainment, working and living environment on currently unused railroad lands. “Not only will Union Park embrace environmentally sensitive development practices going forward, it embodies the very essence of land recycling,” she said.

The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system evaluates communities on criteria related to smart location and linkage to the community at large; neighborhood pattern and design; green construction and technology; and water and energy conservation. It is a tool to help planners and developers create communities that not only protect the environment, but also address important public health issues such as physical activity, traffic accidents, respiratory illnesses, and affordable housing. The LEED certification process includes independent, third-party verification that a development's design, construction and performance meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable, development.

The pilot program is expected to conclude in 2008. Based on feedback gathered during the pilot, the rating system will be revised to improve its effectiveness and applicability to the marketplace. The revised rating system will then be balloted according to USGBC's consensus process and undergo approval by CNU and NRDC.

“Communities can play a tremendous role in mitigating global climate change,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Buildings and the infrastructure that surround them are major sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The LEED for Neighborhood Development program will enable us to make efficient use of our natural resources and design communities that make an immediate, positive impact on our planet.”

About Union Park
Union Park is a 61-acre mixed-use master-planned urban center located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas on land owned by the city of Las Vegas. Situated just east of I-15, Union Park is bounded on the east by the historic Union Park rail yards across the street from World Market Center, Clark County Government Center and the Las Vegas Premium Outlets shopping center. Newland Communities, a privately owned national real estate developer with offices in more than 20 U.S. cities and more than 40 developments underway in 14 states, was retained by the city of Las Vegas as development manager to oversee day-to-day development of Union Park. Considered the single most important element of the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas, Union Park is anchored by two key public facilities: the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute designed by famed architect, Frank Gehry; and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, designed by architect David Schwarz. Planned to encompass more than 10 million square feet of office, medical, residential, retail, civic and hotel/hospitality space, Union Park has a value of more than $6 billion and a build-out of approximately 11 years (2018). http://www.unionparkvegas.com/.

About LEED
The LEED® Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third party rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Projects are evaluated within six environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the industry standard of measurement for green building.

About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry; including corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations; working together to transform the way buildings are designed, built and operated. Green buildings are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 10,000 member companies and organizations, a 90-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED® green building products and services, and produces the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/). The USGBC’s network of over 75 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups are united to advance their mission of transforming the building industry to sustainability.

[mdiederi]

Here's a new news story about it.
http://inbusinesslasvegas.com/2007/08/17/retail.html

[Ho-Dog]

^^ Nice article Mark, the developer seems quite confident regarding the second phase which includes the world Jewelry Center.

Union Park just needs to hit that elusive "critical mass" and it should start buzzing with activity! IMO

[Superfish]

The talk of the new City Hall is intriguing...

I haven't been the greatest fan to the current city hall, if ever. We should get something a bit newer. I don't need something revolutionary, or extravagant. It should be a modern structure that serves its purpose well. Although the desert themed Clark County Gov Center is one of my favorites too.

They state how important residential units are, rightfully saying without people, it'll be just another office core with no one there at night.

I also like Oscar restating the important fact that new and modern Union Park isn't supposed to suddenly make the rest of old downtown seem old and obs elate or inferior, but will link with it and be a part of it.

[mdiederi]

I haven't been the greatest fan to the current city hall, if ever.
Yeah, I don't think anyone is seeing as how several of those recent arena proposals were contingent on getting the land the current city hall is on.

[Superfish]

The talk of the new city hall isn't new. Even before Union Park, they thought about selling it off and possibly turning it into condos, or making it become the new HQ building of Metro Police who are short on office space.

Still up in the air is of course the money they will need to build the new hall. Selling old city hall off may indeed help.

[Ho-Dog]

Newland Communities has a bit more info on Union Park, and a nice artist conceptual rendering not found on the first page.

http://www.newlandcommunities.com/ourcommunities/communityDetail.aspx?communityID=48#

[samsonyuen]

This is great! It sounds like Vegas is getting its downtown act ogether. Is it relatively sprawled right now (the metro area)?

[Superfish]

What do you mean by relatively sprawled?

Vegas is sprawled, no question but we also have a boundary (called the blm disposal) that pretty much restricts us from going beyond it since it's federal land. We're pretty much about there now and thus the need to finally get some more high density and infill development within the metro area.


Newland Communities has a bit more info on Union Park, and a nice artist conceptual rendering not found on the first page.

http://www.newlandcommunities.com/ourcommunities/communityDetail.aspx?communityID=48#

Good link, havn't seen that one. However it appears to be an older rendering, as it doesn't show the Ruvo center at all and puts a large building on that corner. Interesting to see no doubt.

[mdiederi]

Here are some recent progress shots of the Frank Gehry designed Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, which is the first building on the Union Park site.

From the north looking south.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Brain1.jpg

From the west looking east.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Brain2.jpg

And they started on the southern part of the building where the melted cheese grater shaped thing will go.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Brain3.jpg

[mdiederi]

http://www.globest.com/news/996_996/lasvegas/164170-1.html
"The planned one-million-sf World Jewelry Center here is now officially a Foreign Trade Zone. The designation, which means significant savings for major jewelry industry players, enhances the center’s appeal as a place from which to operate, making the 60-story tower more likely to be completed as planned."

[mdiederi]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Picture-1.jpg

Story about the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2007/oct/24/566612154.html

More than a year after winning the commission for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Schwarz and his Washington, D.C., team presented a scale model at the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation offices on Monday....

The three-building Smith campus includes a large hall, a small hall and an education complex. The carillon bell tower juts from the northeast corner of the main building and could provide concerts for people in what is, at least tentatively, called Symphony Park. A pedestrian alley leads into outdoor public space, a courtyard between the three structures. The ground floor of the main building has a grand lobby. Above that is an upper lobby that could seat 300 for dinner or serve as reception space. A spacious veranda overlooks Symphony Park.

The design team is testing stone found near Jean. Myron Martin, president of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation, says the stone, called Nevada metaquartzite , costs more than limestone but is indigenous and wouldn't need to be transported across county. That could help the building earn a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Martin said.

The $250 million main building, with a 2,050-seat performance hall with four-tiered balcony and wood floors , is expected to break ground in 13 months and be completed in mid-2011. ...

[Superfish]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Picture-1.jpg

Story about the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2007/oct/24/566612154.html

Very interesting they would model it after Hoover Dam's art deco. Well we already have SOHO Lofts which is art deco so nothing really surprising. And I was thinking all this time they would have some abstract modern design.

You have any better shots of the model? The two on that page show only a part of it.


Went by the Ruvo Center today and it's making fast progress. I think they are clearly starting on the curvy "cheese grater" portion of it.

[xXFallenXx]

great project for vegas!

[mdiederi]

You have any better shots of the model? The two on that page show only a part of it.
That's all I've been able to find. Went to the architect's website but there was nothing about it there, but it seems to be a similar style to some of his other things.

[Bond James Bond]

Holy moly what a project!

Only in Vegas. ;) (Or Dubai :D)

[mdiederi]

New story about Union Park's LEED pilot program

http://www.globest.com/news/1035_1035/lasvegas/165975-1.html


.

[mdiederi]

News story about the site.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/11569526.html

Action on three potential anchor tenants could come as soon as the first three months of next year:

• The World Jewelry Center, a 50-plus-story tower that would house jewelry designers, manufacturers, whole- salers and retailers, is expected to present its final plans to the Las Vegas City Council in January.

• They're expected to be followed in February by the proposed five-star Charlie Palmer boutique hotel, slated for 400 rooms and one of the chef's signature restaurants.

• Then, in March, the council should hear from Access Medical, which has plans for a 400-room business hotel (negotiations are ongoing with Kimpton Hotels, a four-star brand) and a medical office building anchored by a surgical training center.

Newland will be developing residential properties on the site, and talks have started for a casino-hotel on another parcel, which will be the development's only gaming component.

Of the 21 parcels within the city-owned Union Park, all but three have been spoken for or are under negotiation.

[Architek]

random question but is the gehry building only research related or will it treat patients also, because if that thing is for treating patients I can see gehry getting more lawsuits, because i'm sure no person with alzheimers would feel comfortable going into that thing.

[Slartibartfas]

Wow, thats so cool to see how they try to create something urban there. I mean something that deserves the label "urban".

I also love the model of the smith center. Will this central building really be built in that style that looks like art deco in my eyes? That would be a great eye catcher.

Moreover I find the idea to fill the space between the towers with small city house like buildings very good as well. I think that might make the difference between sterile spread out highrise district and real urban down town.


What hurts my eyes though is that immense space those parking decks make up. I mean credits to the planners that they banned them to periphery of that area but I think its frightening. Are those unbelievable huge amounts of parking spots needed? Well probably they are. Which leads me to a last question: Whats the Public Transport concept for that area? Is there one? Or is there a mentionworthy network in Las Vegas at all?

[VegasCharlie]

random question but is the gehry building only research related or will it treat patients also, because if that thing is for treating patients I can see gehry getting more lawsuits, because i'm sure no person with alzheimers would feel comfortable going into that thing.

But they would forget 5 minutes later that they didn't like it...

I know thats wrong!!! My family has a history, making fun makes it easier!!!

Back on topic:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/11569526.html - Same link as mdiederi, found this map:
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u270/heyyoucharlie/UnionPark.jpg

[mdiederi]

Smith Center

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/smith.jpg

[Superfish]

But they would forget 5 minutes later that they didn't like it...

I know thats wrong!!! My family has a history, making fun makes it easier!!!



heh that was just... well laughter is the best medicine as they say.

Their website shows that main uses:

* Clinical Services - diagnosis, treatment and care
* Education & Technology Transfer - translation and dissemination of new knowledge on care and treatment
* Public Policy Forums - ‘Think-Tank’ meetings
* Research

http://www.keepmemoryalive.org/about_us.php?sub=institute

So yes patients will be treated there.


http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u270/heyyoucharlie/UnionPark.jpg
Looking at this map you see that ALL of the residential is accounted for, the only 3 parcels left are business/medical parcels which you would assume take longer to find suitable tenants for.

The casino/hotel plot is also a mystery, something keeps telling me it could be an expansion of the Plaza if they still want to connect it to Fremont Street but a new one isn't out of the question.

[mdiederi]

These plans for the World Jewelry Center are on the city agenda for Thursday.

Site plan
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCsite.jpg

Basement
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCbasement.jpg

Lobby
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJClobbyfloor.jpg

3rd floor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJC3rdlevel.jpg

North elevation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCelevation.jpg

East elevation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCelevationE.jpg

800 foot tower elevation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCtowerelevation.jpg

Tower floor plans
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WJC/WJCtowerfloors.jpg

[Superfish]

thanks for posting the diagrams mdiederi.

Height reduced to 800ft eh, well 15ft is barely notable as it is. I will change the height on the first page.

all the renders we've seen had it as looking brownish almost, but now these show the glass to be the usual blue/white variety. Any color elevations of the top of the tower?

Podium is nice as well. Overall a great tower and soon to be icon for downtown.

[Superfish]

Latest WJC Rendering, looks fanatastic.

http://i18.tinypic.com/6t4rmzk.jpg

yea the original had that neat multi level chevron thing but I guess this is a more conservative yet still modern look. Still not sure about the crown on top, I guess it isn't that bad. It will look great if it's lit up. Assuming those black lines are balconies for the condo portion, making them possibly the highest condo units and balconies in the city. Glass color is similar to CityCenter's. Overall it actually looks like a streamlined office tower now.

[mdiederi]

Looks nice!

[VegasCharlie]

I think it looks much better then the first render!!!

Union Park is going to be amazing!!!

[Superfish]

That render is at ground level. Perhaps the only way to appreciate the size of the WJC is with a model :) Location and tower shape is accurate...

http://i9.tinypic.com/6xbjgi0.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/89htnrd.jpg

http://i2.tinypic.com/7xv1kxe.jpg

I-15 Northbound View
http://i16.tinypic.com/6jq1q20.jpg

US95 East
http://i4.tinypic.com/8eivr6u.jpg

Plaza...
http://i6.tinypic.com/72gkpqt.jpg

[Beware]

http://i18.tinypic.com/6t4rmzk.jpg

:) " Ooooooh, Vegas.... I LIKE! "

[mdiederi]

Dang, that is tall. The models really put it in perspectve.

[mdiederi]

New progress shots of Gehry's Ruvo building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Ruvo1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Ruvo2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Ruvo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Ruvo3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Gehry/Ruvo4.jpg

[Superfish]

Ruvo is progressing quite nicely.

[mdiederi]

World Jewelry Center opening date move back to 2011. I don't think this means they will start later, just that it's going to take a little longer to build then they originally thought.
http://lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2007/12/21/news/iq_18596133.txt

[mdiederi]

There's a lot of ground preparation work going on at the Union Park site, but it doesn't look like any buildings are starting, just infrastructure work.

[mdiederi]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/3163816.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/3179810.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/3179811.jpg

http://www.lvrj.com/news/35674249.html

A 'MESSAGE TO THE WORLD'

Hopes are high that the $485 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts will transform Las Vegas' cultural legacy

By STEVE BORNFELD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

One cool joint.

As descriptions of performing arts centers go, that may lack a certain dignity. But in a city where cool is currency, no greater compliment could be bestowed on the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Theoretically, anyway.

The $485 million center is still nearly five acres of downtown dirt that won't be disturbed until early next year, when construction is set to begin within the 61-acre, master-planned Union Park, with a 2011 target for completion. But that vacant space holds prodigious potential for the cultural transformation of Las Vegas.

"The Smith Center is being built for people who live here, but the message to the world is that Las Vegas has grown up. There won't be any slot machines in the lobby," says Myron Martin, president of the Smith Center. "Performing arts centers have proven they can change cities. We've reached critical mass in terms of population. Now we have to satisfy the population."

The center is named for Fred W. Smith, former Review-Journal executive and chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, and for his wife, Mary B. Smith. The foundation provided $150 million for construction of the center, which will be anchored by a 2,050-seat proscenium theater that will be a permanent performance home to the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Nevada Ballet Theatre, as well as host Broadway tours and other arts groups. Cabaret space for jazz, an intimate black box theater usable for children's and community productions, and educational outreach facilities, including classroom space, are also slated for the center.

"This is the most important project to be built in Las Vegas in our lifetime," says Don Snyder, the center's chairman of the board. "We're the largest community in North America that does not have its own world-class performing arts center, but we've got a significant base of people that are used to having this type of asset. It's part of the infrastructure you need to be a world-class community."

Plans for a 650-seat theater have been shelved, and the area where the theater would have been built now is being considered for a museum gallery. But center officials have announced the addition of an outdoor stage where shows can play to 800 people, to be constructed in Symphony Park, on two acres outside the center. How to maximize its use, given colder winter temperatures and scorching Las Vegas summers, still is being studied by the center's landscape architect.

RIPPLE EFFECTS

Given the quality and quantity of performers the center is expected to attract, its ripple effects on the city will include tipping the cultural balance in relation to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and its twin venues, the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre.

"(UNLV) has done a great service in getting us to where we are today," Martin says. "Cut to when we're no longer a medium-size community, the residents will expect something more. I suspect the New York Philharmonic, if they could perform at Ham Hall or the Smith Center, would choose the Smith Center."

No argument from UNLV's chief performance scheduler, with a caveat.

"I see it as a natural extension of the growth of the arts in Las Vegas, but we're going to have to choose our niches," says Larry Henley, UNLV's director of artistic programming and production.

"We're all trying to serve the people of this community, but by the same token, we need to protect our interests and bring people into our campus," Henley said. "It's a good thing we'll all be working with the same agents and tour managers. It'll be communication, not negotiation."

UNLV will lose the Philharmonic and the Nevada Ballet Theatre, which schedule the bulk of their performances at the university. Major visiting acts, such as this year's appearances by Rita Moreno, Broadway superstar Lea Salonga and the Jerusalem Symphony, probably will switch to the Smith Center in the future.

"Instead of doing four of those a year, we might do one," Henley says. "Actually, right now it's a shoehorn to try to book the tours and accommodate the music department, the theater department and the dance department. Now we can bring in things so students can play with the artist."

Less affected will be the Cashman Center, where events have tilted more toward civic than artistic in recent years, though there are occasional performances, such as a tour stopover last August of a pair of Mormon-themed musicals, "Saturday's Warrior" and "The White Star," a Nov. 14 concert by locally based Red Mountain Music Company and the musical "Black Nativity" this coming weekend. But it's been several years since a Broadway road company took the Cashman stage.

"The functions now are graduations, dance recitals, a lot of nonprofits doing business there," says Vince Alberta, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, though he does foresee a tourism boost from the center. "It will absolutely help because it will be another example of how we're evolving as a destination city."

Only the Philharmonic and ballet theater meet the center's residency requirements: having a complete season, a history of success, a financial plan and a commitment to give every performance at the center September through May. Beyond UNLV, the Philharmonic currently uses venues such as the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts, and the dance company occasionally has staged its holiday favorite, "The Nutcracker," at Cashman and the Rio's Samba Theater.

"This will firmly put us on the map," says Peter Aaronson, executive director of the Philharmonic. "Our sister orchestras in the League of American Orchestras have their permanent homes on this same scale. It provides us with state-of-the-art facilities and allows us to present music in the proper setting on the proper scale. We have a great facility at Ham Hall, 1,800 seats. It has excellent acoustics and sightlines. But it is an older facility with limited backstage space and a very tight schedule, so it really does cramp our schedule. Being a permanent resident (of the center), we're hoping we can breathe deeply and expand."

And Aaronson cites the center's cutting-edge audio/visual systems to facilitate future Philharmonic broadcasts on KNPR public radio and cable TV.

Nevada Ballet Theatre originally was designated as the main tenant of the since-scrapped 650-seat hall.

"They've been in the Judy Bayley Theatre; it's 550 seats," Martin says. "Moving to 650 a few years ago seemed like 20 percent growth, but the new thinking is: Let's perform less but to bigger audiences, because that allows having a live orchestra, which is what they felt they've lacked."

Beth Barbre, the ballet company's executive director, says that although they'll maintain rehearsal studios and their academy in Summerlin, the move to the center will attract a "high level of artists, inspire new audiences and make us want to go to the top of our game, raise the bar, if you want to use that pun."

Plans for the center are paying immediate dividends, Barbre says, citing its appeal to job candidates in their search for a permanent artistic director.

Transitioning to the Smith Center will cost local arts groups more than they now shell out to rent UNLV space. The university's daily rate is $1,450 for Artemus Ham Hall and $800 for the Judy Bayley Theatre, not including labor and equipment fees. UNLV sets rates on a three-year cycle that ends this year, with rent to rise at least 10 percent next year.

"I think we are very fair to local nonprofit groups," Henley says.

Smith Center rates haven't been locked in, but they'll exceed UNLV's, Martin says. "Will it cost considerably more? I don't think so. People can focus too much on rent."

Along with planning to increase revenue by drawing more patrons to the center, the Philharmonic already has a financial plan in motion, creating a $10 million endowment budget over the next five years.

"It's ambitious from where we've been," Aaronson says. "San Diego has a $96 million fundraising campaign, so a $10 million goal is very reasonable for this community."

For Nevada Ballet Theatre, Barbre says, "Myron is very amenable to keeping our costs comparable (to UNLV's rates) the first year."

IF YOU BUILD IT ...

Though Broadway musicals have fared erratically on the Strip, tours coming through the Smith Center will attract locals, says Martin, a producer of the failed version of "Hairspray" at the Luxor in 2006, which drew insufficient tourist business. But the experience gave him hope for the center.

"During previews, locals know you get a better price," he says. "Having seen them come out for that in droves proved to me that if we bring in the kinds of shows that have never come to Las Vegas, like 'Wicked' and others, they will want to come."

Unlike the $100-plus ticket prices in New York and on the Strip, he anticipates prices more in the $65 to $80 range.

"It won't be free, and it won't be a rip-off, and people will get their money's worth," he says, noting that the hall, with its layout and sound system, was designed with Broadway productions in mind.

He expects the center to host 10 to 16 weeks of shows annually, with "A-list companies, which is exactly what those of us who live here have been asking for."

Locally based theater took a hit, however, when the 650-seat hall was removed from the center plans. Other arts centers with midsize venues that host nonmusical theater include those in Los Angeles; Orange County, Calif.; San Francisco; and Portland, Ore.

"If you take (the ballet company), the main user of that hall, off the table, what was left was a little bit of this and that. Can you justify building it?" Martin says.

He noted that a regional theater company with a sizable staff of Equity actors, known organizationally as members of LORT (League of Resident Theatres), could have filled the space; but UNLV's Nevada Conservatory Theatre already is evolving into one that would remain on campus, similar to those in Knoxville, Tenn., and Kansas City, Mo.

"That's the direction the Nevada Conservatory Theatre is going in," says Jeffrey Koep, dean of UNLV's College of Fine Arts. "The loss of the Smith Center theater is not good for Las Vegas, but (NCT) moving into such a thing is not even a possibility. NCT is part of this university, and we support that, to have professionals come in to work with the students."

Whether the lack of a LORT company that could present full-scale dramas and comedies prevents the Smith Center from reaching its full potential is debatable. But Sandra Gibson, president of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in Washington, D.C., says "adjustments and shifts of these types are not uncommon in the development of major performing arts centers. The best of these projects all have such moments when they return to their community to reassess the core needs of the new facilities and the depth of financial support currently available to meet those needs."

Theater on the community level will have limited visibility. Though Martin says he expects local arts groups of all sorts to perform from time to time, they probably wouldn't have drawn audiences to fill the now-dropped midsize hall. Troupes are more likely to stage smaller productions occasionally at the 250-seat Black Box theater.

"The term 'community theater' means it's born in and of the community," Martin says. "There's a reason community theater does well at smaller neighborhood venues. It's the people in and of those neighborhoods that get involved."

But some companies could feel deprived by the elimination of the 650-seat hall. Jim Carey, artistic director of Musical Actors Theatre, rents the Summerlin Library stage. The venue also is used by groups including P.S. Productions, Jade Productions, Signature Productions and Stage Door Entertainment.

"It's a great space, but very limited in terms of audience," he says. "The theater groups in this city were looking forward to having (the midsize hall) where we could excel with something state-of-the-art. I hope they think of us small guys as well as bringing the larger productions, because this city needs to be able to sustain both."

Niche groups, such as the avant-garde Cockroach Theatre, could be enticed by the center's Black Box, having flitted around town, sometimes staging shows at hole-in-the-wall spaces in out-of-the-way strip malls.

"Nobody walked by where we were, because we're in a weird venue. They don't want to go there," says Jo Cattell, development director of Cockroach Theatre. "You don't get the walk-by traffic of a mainstream area. It's hard enough to get people to the theater without another obstacle. We'd definitely be interested in doing things there."

Other local arts groups also dream of Smith Center occupancy.

"The lack of a venue has been a major problem for all these companies for a number of years," says Hal West, a spokesman for Opera Las Vegas, which has performed largely at recital halls and community centers. The company is attempting to ratchet up its prestige and productions to someday be worthy of the center.

"We actually brought in two Metropolitan Opera singers (for one show). But we'll have to pump up (their subscriber base) substantially. We're trying to generate enthusiasm and interest."

SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS

Crucial to the center will be the educational component, partnering with the Clark County School District.

"We will touch every single school-age child in Clark County sometime during their academic career," Snyder says.

Programs carrying the center's imprimatur already are multiplying. They've included music education for teachers and students at the Lied Children's Discovery Museum and Variety Early Learning Center, and workshops and performances by the Alvin Ailey Dance organization around the valley.

Cultural efforts will target kindergarten through 12th-graders, with others geared toward college students.

"Maybe we'll have events such as wine-and-talk-back sessions on what jazz is all about," says Candy Schneider, the center's director of education and outreach. "Maybe you never liked opera because you never knew what the story line was all about or how to follow along, things that might prevent you from going to a performance. We'll do it in a fun, informational way."

Martin adds: "How cool would it be to be a jazz student at one of the high schools and have Wynton Marsalis come and show them a lick or two? That's as good as it gets."

RAISING FUNDS

Launched by a $50 million grant in 2005 from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation that tripled to $150 million in 2007, the total value of the Smith Center is estimated at $485 million, with $70 million still to be raised. Construction costs are pegged at around $275 million, and an agreement for a guaranteed price is expected to be signed early next year with contractor Whiting-Turner. The city has kicked in a hefty in-kind donation.

"If you take the land, the parking, the infrastructure the city is providing us, such as water and sewer services, and the environmental cleanup -- remember this is the old Union Pacific Railroad land -- that's a gift valued at around $50 million," Martin says.

Further fundraising is divided into three parts. The first is "naming opportunities" for families and companies. The second is a founders list for donors of $1 million or more.

"But the public phase, for contributions of all sizes, may be the most important," Martin says. "It brings additional money, but it also starts our conversation with the public. There's a lot of people in Las Vegas who don't know what the Smith Center is yet."

By its projected 2011 opening, everyone may know it as one cool joint.

[f.e.s.b.r.]

nice...

[stewartrama]

by far the best project in vegas- this is actually classy, no fake glitzy crap; an elegant opera house, nice hotels, and soaring towers. Good job Vegas!

[mdiederi]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/13/proceeding-caution/

Proceeding with caution
Union Park developers still committed, but delays are possible


By Sam Skolnik
Sat, Dec 13, 2008

Las Vegas has long been planning Union Park as an extraordinary development: a gleaming new downtown, adjacent to the current one and built from the ground up.

With the recent drumbeat of dour economic news, it may not seem like the time for a project of Union Park’s 61-acre, $6 billion scope. And to a degree, the economy has affected Union Park.

One of its six major business and civic developments has been delayed a year, and at least one more, a top official confirms, may soon ask for a similar postponement from the City Council.

Despite the economy, it appears that Union Park, one of the chief legacies of Mayor Oscar Goodman, is still on track.

City officials and those of five of the six developments say trepidation because of the economy is understandable. But developers are increasingly committed to Union Park, they say, because they know once the economy rebounds, odds are strong it will become a vibrant, multifaceted neighborhood.

“This is not a short-term project, it’s a long-term project,” said Newland Senior Vice President and Development Director Rita Brandin. “Union Park is moving forward. Activity is ongoing.”

Union Park officials recently touted progress made in 2008.

Most obvious is construction on the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, the Frank Gehry-designed medical center that will house researchers trying to find cures for brain dysfunctions. The building on the southwestern corner of the park is now less than a year from completion. Several managers and administrators have moved into fourth-floor office space.

This week, at the entrance to the Life Activities Center — an auditorium under construction in front of the institute’s office building that will host speakers and other public events — curving white beams stood at odd angles. Steel grids lay on the ground, waiting to be hoisted atop the high-tech structure, which will contain windows with photo cells that allow in just the right amount of light.

“We’ve looked at Union Park as a venture opportunity — and a good one,” said Maureen Peckman, chief operating officer of the Keep Memory Alive organization, the institute’s holding company. “It’s a lifetime commitment.”

Union Park officials also tout new infrastructure on the southern portion of the property, as well as the recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council that its developers had met certain standards for protecting the environment.

From the Ruvo institute’s fourth floor looking north, Union Park is mostly empty, dotted with construction trailers, earth-moving machines and piles of dirt.

Near the institute, ground is to be broken next on the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas’ first comprehensive cultural center and the centerpiece of Union Park.

Developers are set to start construction by the end of March. Officials with the center say they are planning for a 32-month construction period and a November 2011 opening.

Two top Smith Center officials, Myron Martin and Don Snyder, president and chairman respectively of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation, said most everything is in place — including final construction documents that detail everything about how the $360 million structure will be built — except the financing.

Part of the center’s funding is coming from the city’s share of a Clark County tax on rental car drivers, they said. They’re also relying on financing through Bank of America and private fundraising. All of it needs to be in place, Snyder said, before groundbreaking.

“We’re working harder than ever,” he added. “It’s reasonable to expect in this market that certain elements of the time line will have slipped.”

Time lines for other major developments — the World Jewelry Center, a boutique hotel designed by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, a casino yet to be named and a series of residential units — are less clear.

Several months ago, Newland Communities, which is developing the park’s residential properties and serving as the city’s designated project manager for the rest of the park, got approval from the City Council to delay its housing projects for a year. The company cited the dried-up housing market.

It appears the Charlie Palmer Hotel is moving forward. Snyder said he’s heard that hotel officials want its opening to coincide with that of the Smith center. Parts of the hotel will overlook the center.

During a Nov. 20 dinner with Goodman at the Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant at the Four Seasons, Palmer confirmed that he was “totally committed to the project,” Goodman said at a recent news conference.

“There was no indication that the project was going to be put on hold,” Goodman said. “But at the same time, certainly there were discussions about how difficult it is to get debt financing … There’s plenty of equity, but there’s very little debt available.”

In a statement, Richard Kaufman, president of City-Core Development and a partner with The Charlie Palmer Group, used similar language.

“We remain committed to the project, the location and the city,” Kaufman said. “We believe the product we’re creating — a world class boutique hotel with 426 rooms and signature Charlie Palmer amenities — is something that doesn’t exist in Las Vegas today. Our studies show significant demand for what we’re planning, now and when the hotel opens.”

And Bill Boyajian, managing director of the World Jewelry Center, he is more committed to Union Park than ever, after two years selling units in the skyscraper project.

Boyajian said he has signed 151 jewelry wholesalers, manufacturers and dealers from 24 countries to move in once the project is completed. He said another 150 businesses have expressed interest.

Given the level of enthusiasm and commitment, he said that even in a worst-case economic scenario, he could not envision scrapping the project.

And yet, Boyajian conceded that the developer he works for, Probity International, might soon ask for a revised draft development agreement from the City Council to delay the center’s late-2009 groundbreaking date by a year.

Also, Jewelry Center building plans could be reduced from 50 stories to 40 stories, or even split between two smaller buildings.

“It’s very likely we might have to stretch the project out a bit,” Boyajian said. “But we are keeping it alive.”

Scott Adams, the city’s business development director, called the credit problems confronting Union Park’s developers as “classic macroeconomics” that, within a few years, should right itself.

Adams suggested Union Park will be fully constructed within 10 years, possibly adding another five for the housing projects.

It comes down to the faith he has in the developers, he acknowledged.

“We’ve vetted them all out. They’re all rock solid,” Adams said.

[Imperfect Ending]

Las Vegas has a lot of free space still.
This is pretty nice

[mdiederi]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/UnionPark1.jpg

[backupcoolm4n]

The reason i love Vegas is because they didnt cut down a forest to build it, it utilizes typically invaluable land, and has a great backdrop

[CHAPINM1]

Las Vegas has a lot of free space still.
This is pretty nice

Chinatown Las Vegas was built and sits on what was once shitty and neglected land in what used to be a rough neighborhood as well.

[jbkayaker12]

Chinatown Las Vegas was built and sits on what was once shitty and neglected land in what used to be a rough neighborhood as well.

It is still in a rough neighbourhood but because of the many businesses opening up, not only Asians but others as well, the area has improved. Definitely, well lit now.

[The other Dude]

its quite stupid to develop a city when they have no idea how to serve it with water. its a ecological disaster. what they are doing now will be a huge problem in 50 years...

[Taiki24]

Wow! I had absolutely no idea that this was in the works! I love the concept of having an urban center to Las Vegas.

To tell the truth, I haven't spent much time in Vegas itself, most of the strip hotels I have visited are technically in Paradise City (the south part of the strip).

I love Frank Gehry's work, and to think that I didn't even know that one of his buildings was under construction in my own state! Now if only he could do something up north....

Does anyone have any current pictures of the Alzheimer's institute? I am extremely excited to see the progress!

[jbkayaker12]

its quite stupid to develop a city when they have no idea how to serve it with water. its a ecological disaster. what they are doing now will be a huge problem in 50 years...

The whole world is an ecological disaster happening as long as there is rapid population growth, in Vegas we use less water compared to our neighbours, Arizona and California who suck up all the water out of Lake Mead. Part of the water used by the locals and visitors of Las Vegas goes back to Lake Mead in the form of treated water. Of course the city also need to take care of the future so it is saving up its alloted water not being used in Las Vegas through aquifers and city officials are also looking for other possible sources of water in other parts of Nevada.

[galzu]

The Alzheimer building is very appropriate, it just looks like fun.

[Erebus555]

This definitely breaks the stereotypical image of Las Vegas being fake, glitzy and tacky. This is a project to assert itself as a city that has more to it than what they eye may generally see.

[AceN]

Great project for Vegas. I Like it :)

[mdiederi]

Symphony Park

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may/20/union-parks-new-name-music-city-officials-ears/

LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL:
Union Park’s new name music to city officials’ ears


By Sam Skolnik (contact)

Wed, May 20, 2009 (2 a.m.)

The city’s name for the 61-acre brownfield acquired by Las Vegas nine years ago — Union Park — made sense. The $6 billion site was formerly part of the Union Pacific rail yard, after all.

Yet as the city developed plans for the park and some big-name tenants signed on, some involved with the project began to wonder whether the name Union Park adequately represented their vision for the site, where Las Vegas plans to build a new downtown.

The question has been answered. Change is coming in the form of a new name, “Symphony Park.” The name change is set to be ratified at today’s City Council meeting — timed to precede groundbreaking for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts later this month.

Symphony Park, west of Main Street and north of Bonneville Avenue, will be home of the region’s first comprehensive performing arts center and several other major civic and business developments, assuming plans eventually move forward.

Here’s how the decision was made to the change the park’s name:

About a year ago Rita Brandin, a top official with Newland Communities, the city’s project manager for the site, began bandying about the idea for a possible new name for Union Park with its main developers and city officials. They agreed to hire a consultant to study the issue.

“The general feeling was that the association with the railroad wasn’t resonating,” said Brandin, senior vice president and development director of Newland. The name should not only reflect the essence of the place, but also help attract people and new developers to the site, she said.

Newland hired New Jersey-based Cecilian Worldwide, a strategic marketing and branding firm. Cecilian charged Newland $110,000 for eight months of work, according to Brandin.

Kathleen Cecilian, the company’s CEO, and four others spent six weeks in Las Vegas, in August and September, to conduct videotaped interviews with the park’s tenants, as well as Mayor Oscar Goodman, several council members and other movers and shakers. About 30 of these sit-down interviews, which lasted 30 to 60 minutes, were augmented with another 70 man-on-the-street interviews in public venues throughout the valley.

Some of the questions: Have you heard of Union Park? What does that name mean to you? Is it appealing?

Cecilian said the consensus was that the site’s name “should be something as big as the place, something organic” — and Union Park didn’t convey those qualities as well as “Symphony Park.”

The new name had actually been staring officials in the face for some time.

The proposed strip of grass and trees slated for the center of the project, between the Smith Center and a boutique hotel designed by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, is also to be named Symphony Park. That will not change, officials said.

Cecilian presented the proposed new name to about 40 current and future park tenants and their public relations consultants and Goodman and several other city officials in a closed-door, Oct. 14 meeting at the Molasky Building, a prominent Union Park neighbor.

“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” Cecilian said. “The response was overwhelmingly positive.”

An official with Molasky said the new name works because of its connection to the park’s anchor, the Smith Center.

“It’s wonderful that they are changing the name to Symphony Park, underscoring the world-class facility that will anchor that property,” Richard Worthington, president of the Molasky Group, said in a statement. “It’s fitting.”

[nandofutbolero]

and the project is stilll going is very impresive

[Taiki24]

and the project is stilll going is very impresive

Especially with all of the woes that have been accumulating over in the City Center development. I personally prefer this project, it will add something much more real and viable to the city of Las Vegas than a few more glitzy hotels, although those certainly help the economy.

I am glad to see the alzheimers research center go up, I love Gehry's work. And I am also excited to see that Las Vegas is getting a real performing arts venue. Excellent project all around!

[CrazyAboutCities]

Great project for Las Vegas! Las Vegas deserve a decent urban center like this! Anyone have latest construction pictures?

[VegasCharlie]

Anyone have latest construction pictures?

GO to post #62... It still looks the same. :wallbash:

[CrazyAboutCities]

^^Seriously? Damn! :( That picture is over a month old now and I thought they might process little more than last month ago.

[VegasCharlie]

Only activity on the site in the last couple of years has been to put in utilities, plan out the basic layout of the roads, and the ongoing work of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (which seems to be taking forever, in that it is such a small building)

On the bright side: I think once the Smith Center for the Performing Arts breaks ground you will see a steady stream of construction for years and years...

[Brice]

The reason i love Vegas is because they didnt cut down a forest to build it, it utilizes typically invaluable land, and has a great backdrop

That's right but they did worse things with the way they manage the water.