A welcome mob hit

As most residents know by now, several interesting projects are under construction in downtown Las Vegas. There's the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a majestic venue for concerts and plays, as well as a nucleus for arts education in the valley. There's the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, a major medical research and treatment facility and a tourist attraction because of its distinctive Frank Gehry architecture. There's the Neon Museum, a stunning collection of historic Las Vegas signs.

One more biggie: the Mob Museum, officially called the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, located in the old federal courthouse at 300 Stewart Ave.

The Mob Museum is not without its critics, who come in two flavors: those who worry that the museum will glorify organized crime and those who believe it will be a financial flop. I don't fall into either camp.

On the contrary, I believe the $42 million museum will be a study in accurate and balanced historical scholarship. The project's creative director is Dennis Barrie, one of the nation's leading museum developers. He co-created the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Both museums are admired and successful.

Barrie intends to tell the mob's story straight. "We don't plan to pull any of our punches," he says. "A lot of people will come out not looking that good." He doesn't just mean the gangsters. Crooked cops and politicians will be spotlighted as well.

It's not in Barrie's nature to buckle to pressure. Remember the big controversy in 1990 over exhibiting Robert Mapplethorpe's provocative photographs in a Cincinnati museum? The museum curator who refused to yank Mapplethorpe's work was indicted and tried on obscenity charges.

That was Barrie. He won the case. It was a major First Amendment victory and a clear sign that he won't sugarcoat or cover up what really happened in Las Vegas and beyond.

In case Barrie's credentials aren't enough, consider that the museum board is chaired by Ellen Knowlton, former FBI special agent in charge in Las Vegas. With 24 years in law enforcement, Knowlton won't stand for any "glorifying" of thieves and killers.

From the descriptions I've heard, the Mob Museum is going to be not only highly informative but loads of fun. The displays won't be static. They will provide visitors with hands-on experiences, ways to interact with the material. They will include audio and video. Visitors will be "booked" like common criminals. People who have personal stories about their brushes with organized crime will be able to record them, adding to the historical record.

But even if the museum offers an accurate and balanced portrayal of mob history, the second group of skeptics wonders whether it will attract an audience. A study says the facility will draw 600,000 to 800,000 visitors per year -- an impressive range. But is it realistic?

I believe so. First, Barrie has done this before. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the International Spy Museum draw big crowds, and Barrie thinks the Mob Museum will do even better. It's an irresistible subject, for one thing, and it's located in Las Vegas, which draws 37 million tourists per year. They come here to gamble, but they also come for experiences and attractions, and the Mob Museum will fit right in.

Second, the vast scope of the museum will give it wider appeal. When the project was conceived some years ago, the idea was to focus on organized crime in Las Vegas. But Barrie has expanded on that provincial perspective. The museum is going to chronicle the mob story across America and around the world. It will start with the immigrant communities in New York and other Eastern cities, track the rise of syndicates during Prohibition, cover the police crackdowns of the 1930s and '40s, and outline federal efforts to extinguish the mob in the '60s and '70s. No matter where you're from, you'll likely be able to learn a little something about what went down in your hometown.

The mob's portrayal in books, music, television and movies also will be explored. Nick Pileggi, author of "Casino" and other popular books about organized crime, has been tapped to provide guidance in this area.

The only challenge I see is transportation. It's a short walk for a downtown tourist. But consider the visitor who checks into the Luxor on a Friday afternoon. He's heard about the Mob Museum and wants to go. How does he get there? Can he take a bus? If he drives a car, where does he park?

Plans to address these pesky questions are still being worked out, but the success of the Spy Museum, several blocks off the beaten tourist path in the capital, suggests that plenty of people will make the effort to find the Mob Museum.

Set to open in about a year, the museum promises to be a major contribution to the reinvention of downtown and another step in the cultural growth of Las Vegas.

Geoff Schumacher (gschumacher@reviewjournal.com) is the Review-Journal's director of community publications. His column appears Friday.