City Hall Opening Boosts Downtown Revival Hopes

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor 

As Las Vegas struggles to emerge from three years of recession, the recent unveiling of the $185 million city hall offers a glimmer of better things to come. Located at 495 S. Main St.,  the 310,000-square-foot project developed by Forest City Enterprises Inc. is the latest in a series of high-profile Downtown projects, joining the new recently opened $470 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts and a children’s museum on the way in Symphony Park. David J. LaRue Forest City president and CEO termed the new city hall a demonstration of “the power of public-private partnerships to revitalize our cities.”

  Designed by the Elkus Manfredi architectural firm, the futuristic 309,000-square-foot city hall offers a touch of Las Vegas flamboyance while employing a series of sustainability measures that will reduce energy costs and the building’s carbon footprint. Among other features, the new city hall includes solar panels that will produce about 290,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,400 tons. City Hall is a candidate for LEED certification.

As for the 39-year-old former city hall, located at 400 Stewart Ave., the building will provide the new headquarters for Zappos.com. The online clothing retailer plans to leave its current location in nearby Henderson and move in next year after a $40 million renovation.  

Photo Courtesy of LasVegasVegas.com