Abstract
The collection is comprised of drawings (1965-1996) completed by American architect Gary Guy Wilson and/or his architectural firm, Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, Architect Studios and contains 613 sets of drawings from over 250 different projects. Primarily focused on the Las Vegas, Nevada area, the materials feature hand-drawn architectural drawings, ranging from preliminary sketches to construction documents, and a number of printed computer aided drawings. The drawings also contain work from a number of consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects. The drawings include: commercial and professional buildings of varying scales, such as convenience stores, hotels, casinos, shopping centers, and office developments; schools; military buildings at both Nellis and Indian Springs Air Force Bases; multi-family residential developments; and custom single-family homes located throughout the Southwest (United States).
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Scope and Contents Note
The Gary Guy Wilson architectural drawings (1965-1996) contain 613 sets of drawings from over 250 different projects in the southwestern United States, with a strong focus on the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The materials feature hand-drawn architectural drawings, ranging from preliminary sketches to construction documents, and a number of computer aided drawings printed with inkjet--showing the changing media of communicating architectural design through the years. The drawings also contain work from a number of consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects, or, which served as Wilson’s precedents and inspirational material.
The drawings include commercial and professional buildings of varying scales, from 7-Eleven convenience stores to shopping and office developments such as the Renaissance Center Shopping Plaza; renovations to both the Sands and Dunes hotels and casinos; schools, including Rancho High School; military buildings at both Nellis and Indian Springs Air Force Bases; several multi-family residential developments like Smoke Ranch and Lakes Landing; and custom single-family homes located throughout the Southwest (United States). There are a number of imaginative designs for projects that were not built. Of particular interest, an unrealized design for the “Ceasar’s Towers Hotel and Casino”; a proposed volcanic-shaped, tiki-themed modification for the Xanadu Hotel and Casino (an unrealized plan by architect Martin Stern Jr., located on the current site of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino); and a number of sports arena proposals located at the Hilton International, Xanadu Hotel and Casino, and Thunderbird Hotel and Casino.
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
Drawings are arranged by project.
Biographical / Historical Note
Established in 1969 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, Architect Studios embodies Wilson’s design philosophy and reflects local cultural characteristics. Wilson’s firm, organized into specialized studios, works on a wide variety of public projects for local and federal governments, such as educational facilities and government centers, including buildings at both Nellis and Indian Springs Air Force airfields. His firm also works on a wide variety of private projects such as hotels, casinos, shopping plazas, and professional offices, as well as a variety of single and multi-family residences. Wilson and his firm have worked on over 1350 projects in as many as 14 states, contributing significantly to the growth and development of Las Vegas, Nevada and the southwestern United States.
Sources:
Wilson, Gary Guy. "Gary Guy Wilson, AIA." Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, PC, Architect Studios. n.p., n.d. http://www.ggwarchitects.com/ (accessed 30 June 2016).
“Dedicated Member of AIA Nevada for 55 Years.” Forum (Jan. 2013): 1. http:// http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.aianevada.org/resource/resmgr/imported/2013%20January%20Newsletter.pdf (accessed 1 July 2016).
Gary Guy Wilson and his architectural firm, Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, Architect Studios, have worked on over 1350 projects in as many as 14 states since 1969. Wilson has built his firm’s reputation over a period of 40 years. From towering hotel and casino projects to modest individual residential projects, Wilson has instilled identity by combining and balancing “elements of practicality, utility, and delight” into architecture designed with functionality and economic awareness in mind. Known for his work on hotel and casino projects such as Circus-Circus and the Aladdin, he has been an important contributor to the growth and development of Las Vegas, Nevada and the southwestern United States.
Wilson was born in on April 13, 1941 in Salt Lake City. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Utah in 1966 and concurrently interned with Young, Fowler, and Associates in Salt Lake City. After graduation, Wilson worked for three years as a project architect for John Fodor and Associates in Norwalk, Connecticut on a number of public and private projects. In 1969 Wilson moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and established Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, Architect Studios. Wilson, a member of the Las Vegas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) since 1970, served as the President of the AIA Las Vegas chapter in 1976 and was elected to serve on the 2013-2014 AIA Las Vegas Board of Directors.
Resources:
Wilson, Gary Guy. "Gary Guy Wilson, AIA." Gary Guy Wilson, AIA, PC, Architect Studios. n.p., n.d. http://www.ggwarchitects.com/ (accessed 30 June 2016).
“Dedicated Member of AIA Nevada for 55 Years.” Forum (Jan. 2013): 1. http:// http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.aianevada.org/resource/resmgr/imported/2013%20January%20Newsletter.pdf (accessed 1 July 2016).
Preferred Citation
Gary Guy Wilson Architectural Drawings, 1965-1996. MS-00439. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2001 by Gary Guy Wilson; accession 2001-025.
Processing Note
The finding aid was created and materials were processed in 2016 by Tyler Stanger and Jimmy Chang who physically rehoused, inventoried, and described the drawings.