The interior of the green house at the end of the cul-de-sac envelops the visitor. Every room exudes comfort and encourages conversation even as the lake, lapping quietly on three sides of the house, beckons. Cindy Coletti revels in this house and its interiors, all of her own design, especially because they are so different from the daring, opulent, and award-winning custom homes for which she is known. Arriving in Las Vegas in 1988 as a single mother, Cindy immediately submitted a successful design for the first Southern Nevada Street of Dreams event and began networking. She established Sun West Custom Homes in Nevada by applying the design and contracting skills she had successfully honed by building nearly seventy houses in California, Florida, and Colorado—all the while grooming her son Danny—from the time he was in his teens—to eventually take over the company. In this interview, Cindy's husband, David Fordham, shares his background, his reasons for relocating to Las Vegas, work in commercial real estate, meeting Cindy, and living at The Lakes. Cindy then recalls the experiences that brought her to Las Vegas; shaped her ideas of self-help, friendship, design, and business, and instilled in her the confidence to succeed in a man's world. Cindy has retired from building and now enjoys traveling with her husband, but Sun West Custom Homes continues to thrive under the capable ownership and leadership of Daniel S. Coletti.
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The Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center Architectural Records (1998-1999) contain architectural drawing sets for the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center's design and construction. Located on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center provides professional and liberal arts education to students seeking a career in the study and creation of music. The school enrolls more than 400 music majors and attracts students throughout America and internationally.
Archival Collection
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Brad Friedmutter is the architect behind a number of Steve Wynn’s prominent casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He obtained his degree in architecture in 1973 from the Cooper Union School of Architecture in lower Manhattan and worked on a number of smaller projects before connecting with Steve Wynn. After meeting the famous Vegas tycoon, Friedmutter built a number of well-known casinos, like the Golden Nugget and the Mirage. In this interview, he discusses the development of his numerous projects, explains his process for starting and completing architectural projects, and the future of urban planning and casino design.
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From the Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection (PH-00221) -- Series II. Ash Meadows, Nevada -- Subseries II.C. Toles-Turner Family. A ramp from which cars of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad dumped their ore for processing, Death Valley Junction, California, 1939. (NOTE: The perspective of this photograph is reversed from the original.).
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On March 11, 1978, Sosuke Miyazawa interviewed Nanyu Tomiyasu (b. May 28, 1918 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about his family’s farm and their legacy as one of the pioneering families of the city. Tomiyasu begins by talking about what brought his family to Las Vegas, the city’s abundant water reservoir and his father’s farm. In particular, Tomiyasu discusses his father’s experiments with farming as one of the city’s early farmers, the transition into nursery farming and Japanese gardens. Moreover, he discusses his siblings, the local schools, their great quality, the successful students the city produced and the growth of school populations. Tomiyasu describes the large Japanese population and the Union Pacific Railroad that many of them worked on. He ends by discussing the change in architecture within the city, such as where old buildings stood and what they are used for now, the first Episcopal Church and the old Mormon Fort.
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Oral history interviews with William J. Moore Jr. conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on May 05, 1981 and August 29, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In these interviews, Moore discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1941 to design and build the Last Frontier Hotel. Moore describes his work as an architect and recalls the other hotels he helped design. He then discusses purchasing mines in order to obtain their electrical components. Moore later discusses promoting and advertising for the Griffith theater chain and explains how he promoted before telecommunications. Later, Moore explains the designs of some of the structures he helped build. Lastly, Moore discusses the groups and organizations he was a member of, and recalls some of his memorable accomplishments.
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