Abstract
The JMA Architecture Studio Records are comprised of architectural records (1953-2002) created by the American architect Jack Miller and/or his architectural firm, known as both Jack Miller & Associates, Architects, & Engineers, Inc and JMA Architects, Inc. This collection includes 30.25 linear feet of materials documenting work on over 250 projects. The collection focuses on Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. The materials feature photographs of the firm’s projects and hand-drawn architectural drawings, ranging from pencil and ink on tracing paper preliminary sketches to ink on Mylar (TM) construction documents. The drawings also contain work from a number of consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects. The collection includes architectural drawings for hotels, casinos, integrated casino resorts, office towers, multi-family residential developments, and custom single-family homes.
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Scope and Contents Note
The JMA Architecture Studio Records (1953-2002) contain 30.25 linear feet of materials, including 12 boxes of photographs for 250 projects and 81 rolls of architectural drawings for 28 of the firm’s projects. The materials document the firm’s work on projects in the United States, with a strong focus on the Las Vegas, Nevada area and feature: photographs, including prints, slides, and film negatives; architectural drawings, ranging from early preliminary sketches to construction documents; and corporate records, including articles of incorporation. The drawings also contain work from a number of consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects. These include several sets of original construction documents that JMA used for reference while working on additions, alterations, expansions, and remodels to the original buildings. A typical set of construction documents may include drawings like: site plans, floor plans, exterior and interior elevations, building and wall sections, construction details, structural plans, as well as plans and diagrams for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
The collection includes photographs of 250 projects and architectural drawings of 28 projects of: varying building types and sizes, from churches like House of the Good Shepard to the J. C. Penney distribution center; varying locations in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; and design problems of varying complexity like the St. Rose de Lima Hospital, the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion, the community master plan for the Black Mountain Golf and Country Club, and the master plan for Summerlin. While the firm was recognized for its work in the medical industry, JMA designed a number of buildings for Nevada Southern University campus which became the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1969. These buildings include: the original gymnasium, now the Barrick Museum, the Carlson Education Building, the Chemistry Building, the Juanita Greer White Life Sciences Building, the Dickinson Library Addition, Stan Fulton Building, UCC residential complex, and the Desert Research Institute.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
The materials are arranged into two series: photographs (1953-2002), and architectural drawings (1957-1985).
Biographical / Historical Note
JMA (Jack Miller & Associates) was established by architect Jack Miller (1914-1999) in 1945 and is one of the oldest architectural firms in Las Vegas. Jack Miller came to Las Vegas in 1942 to assist in the design of the Basic Magnesium Incorporated (BMI) Plant in Henderson. As one of only a few architects working in Las Vegas after World War II, Miller established a thriving practice designing all types of buildings: schools, residences, commercial and government buildings, hospitals, and the original Stardust Hotel sign.
JMA designed a number of buildings for Nevada Southern University campus which became the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1969: the original gymnasium, now the Barrick Museum, the Carlson Education Building, the Chemistry Building, the Juanita Greer White Life Sciences Building, the Dickinson Library Addition, Stan Fulton Building, UCC residential complex, and the Desert Research Institute. JMA designed expansions for the McCarran airport terminals and the Las Vegas Convention Center and provided master plans for office parks in the Howard Hughes Center and Summerlin. JMA’s signature buildings and projects include the downtown Centel and Nevada Power Co. buildings, Park Towers, One Queensridge Place, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital, the Summerlin masterplan, St. Rose Hospitals, the World Market Center, and Las Vegas’ City Hall.
Jack Miller and his long-time associate Thomas Turner both retired by 1992 and Thomas J. Schoeman, who had been with the firm since 1979, took over the company as President and CEO. Under Schoeman’s leadership, the firm changed its name to JMA Architecture, Inc and became a nationally recognized design firm specializing in Commercial, Hospitality, Healthcare and Public facilities. Schoeman retired in 2011 when JMA was acquired as an affiliate of Michael Baker International, LLC.
Preferred Citation
JMA Architecture Studio Records, 1953-2002. MS-00783. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated by Bruce Preston in 2017; accession number 2017-009.
Processing Note
The materials were arranged, rehoused, and described by Kylie Kircher, Pardis Shaabani, and Tyler Stanger in 2017.