Courtney Mooney is the Urban Design Coordinator for the City of Las Vegas. Her job description includes a knowledge of historic preservation, which is her passion. In this interview she shares her professional and personal thoughts about John S. Park Neighborhood. She moved to John S. Park in 2002. As a professional she explains that "how I look at preserving neighborhoods or buildings, is more of a community preservation, not saving the individual building for the individual building's sake..." Courtney offers a big picture of the neighborhood's past, present and future. John S. Park, like so many other Las Vegas neighborhoods, was built during World War II and has been affected by history of segregation and the wave of changing demographics, and the work that went into the plan and requirements to be designated a historic neighborhood. Courtney provides a summary of the story about the land, its ownership and what lead to the foundation of the neighborhood: from John S. Park to George Franklin and John Law, to Mary Dutton and explains how the proposed development of the land differed from other communities being built to FHA standards and specifics that declared Las Vegas a Defense City in the 1940s. She lists the factors that made the neighborhood a logical and important target for the historic designation, a small neighborhood tucked away, that is "a snapshot of the types of people that were coming here," filled with community leaders, entrepreneurs, blue-collar and casino workers. She also mentions about the missed opportunity of the Las Vegas High School neighborhood for preservation while supporting the John S. Park designation.
Materials contain photographs of families and ranches around Beatty, Nevada from 1904 to 1989. Materials include photographs of the Brockman, Lisle, Revert, Crowell, Lemmon, Palsgrove, and Reidhead families, documenting activities such as events on Main Street, construction of several buildings, protests against the Nevada Test Site, animal husbandry, railroad transportation (especially by the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad), education, and mining and milling.
Archival Collection
Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: PH-00221 Collection Name: Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection Box/Folder: N/A