Another ‘great step forward’

The houses in the Berkley Square neighborhood, which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, are distinctive but not showy. At the time they were built, though, they represented progress for Las Vegas' black community, who had struggled for decades with segregation and deplorable housing.

"It was a great step forward," said Las Vegas Councilman Ricki Barlow, who represents the ward containing Berkley Square. "It really opened the door for African-Americans to purchase homes in an area of town that was thriving."

The subdivision of 148 houses, built in 1954 and 1955, also was the first in Nevada to be developed by African-Americans specifically for the black community. The neighborhood, near Owens Avenue and D Street, has remained intact over the years, and most of the houses retain the contemporary ranch style from that era, according to a report prepared for the National Register nomination.

The neighborhood is named for Thomas L. Berkley, a California lawyer and business developer who also was a civil rights activist. It was designed by Paul Williams, who also designed celebrity homes and public buildings in Los Angeles and was the first black architect admitted to the American Institute of Architects.

The homes brought much-needed housing to what's known as West Las Vegas, a historically black part of town bounded by Rancho Drive, Bonanza Road, Interstate 15 and Carey Avenue.

The black population in town had exploded in the 1930s and '40s just as the area's population as a whole had, but segregation forced blacks into West Las Vegas. It was a bustling community with its own nightclubs, churches and businesses, but the housing supply lagged, and basic amenities such as paved roads and sewer service were not available well into the 1940s.

"It represents the strides made by the African-American community in the period of activism leading up to the civil rights era by providing quality housing and services to Las Vegas' historically neglected Westside," the nomination report states.

The houses originally sold for $7,700 and were designed to be open and functional. They featured carports, large windows and spacious yards.

"They were not on a cookie-cutter scale like what we see today, when you can open up your side window and shake your neighbor's hand," Barlow said.

Ruth D'Hondt grew up in Berkley Square in a house on Freeman Avenue, and when she returned to Las Vegas in 1979, she bought the house next door to her childhood home, which is still owned by her family.

"It was great fun," she said of growing up in the neighborhood. "It was a small-town atmosphere. It was an extension of your family, to your church family, to your community family."

The neighborhood, like others nearby, has suffered some over the years and struggled with crime and absentee landlords. Residents have organized a neighborhood association -- D'Hondt is the president -- and a neighborhood watch, and the National Register listing documents the neighborhood as historically significant, with elements worth preserving.

D'Hondt said she hopes the historic designation raises the neighborhood's profile and makes the area more attractive to potential residents. It also distinguishes Berkley Square from Las Vegas' image of an implode-and-reinvent city.

"It's the only one of its kind, and no one knew anything about it," D'Hondt said. "And I think it's good for the city to know that people have lived in the same houses for 60 years.

"Having newer, bigger things is not the only path to a good life."

The national historic register notes historic factors but does not impose requirements or restrictions on a property, except in limited cases in which federal permits are involved.

The designation makes the neighborhood eligible for the Las Vegas Historic Property Register, which would add restrictions on some exterior remodeling.

D'Hondt said there's no interest in getting on the local list.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.