Has The Huntridge Theatre Been Saved?
Many of us in the “historic preservation movement” have been working for months now, to keep the political pressure on the owner of the Huntridge. Our goal was to get him to find an adaptive use that saves the character and “art moderne” architectural design.
Short of one of the gazillionaires stepping up and funding an endowment, the property still has to be able to return a profit on the investment. We’d all have loved for the city our county governments to have stepped in to create a cultural arts or performing arts center. Even a community center would have been nice. But those uses actually cost money to operate.
Yesterday, Eli Mizrachi, the owner of the Huntridge asked a few of us to come and see the plans that he’s had drawn up for the conversion to an urban hub of offices, restaurants, and boutique storefronts. The design is stunning, and maintains the Art Modern style of the building, and incorporates the adjacent furniture store.
The plans have been submitted to the planning department, and are on a fast track program under the auspices of the Las Vegas Department of Redevelopment. There will be hearings before the Planning Commission as well as the Council in the next few months, and I’ll be inviting all of you to come to them to show your support. It will be nice to go before them in favor of something instead of having to rally the troops against some unwanted development that encroaches on the historic neighborhoods.
Of course time will tell, but this looks like the best use for the property that will maintain the structure for the preservationists, and provide a cash flow to the owner. We believe that the biggest boon will be to spur other redevopment along the Charleston Corridor and to ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO OPEN CIRCLE PARK!
We want to thank Eli for not letting us down.
There will be a public unveiling of the drawings soon. We’re trying to get it organized for the July First Friday. I’ll put out the invitation the minute we know the exact date, time and place.