Elmo C. Bruner came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1947 and established himself as an architect and appraiser. Born in Texas, he grew up in Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma State University. He graduated in 1931 with a BA and BS in architecture and engineering. He married Lucile Spire that same year. The couple went on to have four children: Elmo, Allen, Jerry, and Janice. After graduation, he worked for the Oklahoma State Highway Department and for several oil companies. From 1945 to 1947, he worked as an architectural engineer on the Los Alamos Project.