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Westside Gateway: Transformation of historic campus in planning phase

Plans to restore the Historic Westside School campus could transform it into a financial gateway attracting business to one of the city's most economically depressed areas.

Visions of million-dollar mixed use development -- including retail and residential similar to Town Square Las Vegas or The District at Green Valley Ranch -- were presented at a July 25 community workshop by Kelvin Haywood and Mel Green of KME Architects.

"You'll know when you're at these places, but it won't be because the west side is all rundown," Haywood told the group. "It will be because this is the gateway to the Historic Westside."

The Las Vegas Grammar School Branch No. 1, as it was first known, was built in 1923 between D and C streets and Washington and Jefferson avenues on a swath of land Helen Stewart donated to the Clark County School District. The building was added in 1948 to accommodate the large wartime population increase.

Alumni from the school include the late prominent attorney Bob Archie and the city's first black firefighters, James Walker and Monroe Williams.

It was the first grammar school in that area and is the oldest schoolhouse in Las Vegas. The school was officially phased out of use in 1967. More than a decade later, the school was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

But the school was on the path to disrepair.

The city's historic preservation commission pursued funding to restore the school in 2005, and the city received $550,000 from the Las Vegas Commission for the Centennial for the master plan phase of the project. An additional $75,000 came from the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs to replace a roof on the 1948 building.

"We want to reactivate an area of town once full of life and entertainment and energy," said Ward 5 City Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow, who represents the area. "…This is what I'm trying to jumpstart in an area that has pretty much come to a halt."

The plan is to create a pedestrian- friendly, sustainable design that incorporates wind and solar power use while creating opportunities for retail, professional offices and open spaces for farmers markets and art festivals. The architects, along with city officials, have hosted two community workshops, with plans for a third, to get public input.

The plan includes a large wind turbine that could be seen from Interstate 15 as a landmark, a distinct water feature and a two-story fireplace. There could be an option that includes an iPod plug-in where musical beats would change the color of the wind turbine.

Plans to keep current tenants Variety Day Care, Economic Opportunity Board and KCEP Radio are in the works. Both buildings would be restored. It is unclear whether any of the buildings on the day care site will be demolished. The murals that decorate the school are expected to be relocated on site so the original building windows can be restored.

At this point, it is unclear how much money it would cost to develop the site.

"Due to where we are in the economy, things are much slower from a financing standpoint," Barlow said. "We want to be able to wrap up all the finances to get the project really off and going. We've received enough seed money to get it going, but we're working closely to identify revenue streams to really pull this development out … and make it a gateway to the Historic Westside community."

Alumni from the school, who remember when classmates were racially integrated for the first time in the valley, have formed the Westside School Alumni Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the legacy of the school. Members attended the community workshop to comment on the project.

Some mentioned that reopening F Street would enhance the project. The street, which was shut down in September 2008, is slated to open in late 2013. The proposed reopening would include a two-lane tunnel under I-15 with sidewalks.

"The city owes the west side," one resident told Barlow. "The city hasn't done what it should have for this part of town."

Brenda Williams, wife of Monroe Williams, is the alumni foundation's president and is spearheading a project to document an extensive history about the school in a book called "Our Stories." Despite the project's financial difficulties, Williams said the restoration plans must come to fruition to serve as a "beacon in the community."

"This is a situation where it is needed in the community," she said. "Our community has been underserved by the city of Las Vegas for many, many years. If we can get something like that campus, something educational and cultural, it would bring people here."

Contact Downtown and North Las Vegas View reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@viewnews.com or 383-0492.

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