"Between 1970 and 2010, Southern Nevada’s population increased seven-fold. The urban skyline changed dramatically, while dense suburban tracts pushed at the edges of the desert. The UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives launched the Building Las Vegas collecting initiative in 2016 to collect and preserve evidence about this dramatic growth.

JMA (Jack Miller & Associates) was established by 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 Plant in Henderson. As one of only a few architects working in Las Vegas after the war, Miller was able to establish a thriving practice designing all types of buildings: schools, residences, commercial and government buildings, hospitals and the original Stardust Hotel.

The new technologies of lighting, developed for theater and entertainment made its logical jump to the Las Vegas Strip where lighting design blends with and becomes architecture. Whether lighting the top of the Stratosphere Tower or the intimate atmosphere of an exclusive restaurant or bar, the designs of John Levy Lighting Productions has become a hallmark of the new themed visualization which turns mere structures and landscapes into iridescent light shows.