The James B. McDaniel Records (1960-1978) comprise the plans and drawings created by Las Vegas, Nevada architect James McDaniel who worked independently as James Brooks McDaniel Architect (from 1960-1978) and with a partner as Moffitt and McDaniel Architects, Limited (during the 1970s). This collection includes materials from over 115 projects managed by McDaniel. Records include oversized architectural drawings, and files of architectural projects. McDaniel designed many University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) buildings, residential, commercial, and landscape designs for Las Vegas clients. Also included are business files of construction estimates, specifications, invoices, change orders, and correspondence.
Archival Collection
Craig Palacios was born on November 1, 1971 and grew up in the Paradise Palms neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada. His family lived close to him and he remembers playing with his relatives up and down the Maryland Parkway Corridor. His first job was in construction where he poured and finished concrete. His talents for design became apparent and he began a new job as a swimming pool designer. Craig’s first company was a concrete company, but he later had to close its doors. After that, Craig decided to attend college and graduated with degrees in Architecture and Art History from UNLV in 2005. He worked for YWS Architecture for a few years before opening his own studio in 2011. Since then, BunnyFish Studio has worked on the Downtown Project and the Maryland Parkway Project.
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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).
Archival Collection
The JMA Architecture Studio Records are comprised of architectural records (1953-2002) created by the American architect Jack Miller and/or his architectural firm, known as both Jack Miller & Associates, Architects, & Engineers, Inc and JMA Architects, Inc. This collection includes 30.25 linear feet of materials documenting work on over 250 projects. The collection focuses on Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. The materials feature photographs of the firm’s projects and hand-drawn architectural drawings, ranging from pencil and ink on tracing paper preliminary sketches to ink on Mylar (TM) construction documents. The drawings also contain work from a number of consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects. The collection includes architectural drawings for hotels, casinos, integrated casino resorts, office towers, multi-family residential developments, and custom single-family homes.
Archival Collection
The collection is comprised of architectural drawings (1952-1997) completed by American architect, Ethan Jennings Jr. and/or his architectural firm, Ethan Jennings Jr., AIA, CSI and includes Jenning's work from the firm of John Badgley, AIA, where Ethan Jennings Jr. worked in Southern California during the 1950s, as well as work Jenning's completed with Americo Inc., and Tolosa Group. The collection contains 217 sets of drawings, 6 boxes of project records, and 8 flat files of oversized material from over 200 different projects primarily located in California with some projects located in the Las Vegas area. The materials feature hand-drawn architectural drawings, ranging from preliminary sketches to construction documents. The drawings also contain work from consultants, engineers, and other architects who collaborated on the development of the various projects. The drawings include: commercial, industrial, professional, civic, residential, and religious buildings of varying scales, such as libraries, apartments, warehouses, office developments, schools, military buildings, churches, and custom single-family homes located throughout California and Las Vegas. The drawings also include a number of additions, remodels, and renovations. The collection also contains project records like structural calculations and drawings, project manuals and specifications, bid documents, and professional correspondence.
Archival Collection
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Lee Cagely, an interior designer and professor who designed some of the most iconic hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, was born in the Panama Canal Zone on January 31, 1951. His father Leo was a civil engineer for the Panama Canal Company and his mother Charlotte worked as a receptionist. After his father left his job in Panama, Lee spent his childhood in Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Des Moines, Iowa. He started to attend Rice University for architecture, but he chose to leave before completing his degree. He returned to college a few years later and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in interior design in 1975. While his first California jobs were in restaurant design, he quickly moved on to airports and hotels and moved to Las Vegas in 1990 after associating with Marnell Architecture. Cagley is known for his designs in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Ceasars Palace Atlantic City, the Mirage, and the Bellagio Resort & Casino. He is currently Chair of the Iowa State University College of Design and is principal designer for Lee Cagely Design. Here, Cagley explains the importance of keeping the various pieces of the infrastructure of a resort—including landscape architecture, architecture, interior design, all kinds of HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] concerns, housekeeping, food service, maintenance, etc.-invisible in order to maximize the visitor experience. At the same time he illustrates through several examples how resort design does not happen in a vacuum-it is instead part of a complex team that works together to create the whole. He also describes the challenges the Las Vegas resort industry finds in creating the very best visitor experience for a broad range of groups-from Millennials to their Boomer grandparents and all the generations in between.
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Oral history interview with Domingo Cambeiro conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on October 18, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cambeiro discusses his upbringing in Havana, Cuba. He talks about his initial interests in architecture, starting his own architecture drawing service, and attending the University of Havana. Cambeiro recalls submitting a request to leave Cuba, emigrating to the United States, and arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1962. Cambeiro talks about working with Las Vegas architect Julius Gabriel, obtaining his architecture license, and starting an architectural firm. Lastly, Cambeiro discusses being selected to create architectural drawings for the Thomas & Mack Center.
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Randy Lavigne, Honorary AIA, has every reason to smile. Since 1995 she has been the Executive Director for AIA (American Institute of Architects) Las Vegas professional organization; she works daily with her daughter in a beautifully restored historic building in the heart of downtown Las Vegas; and the architects with whom she works so value her contributions they compiled and submitted documentation in order to surprise her with honorary AIA membership. In this interview, Lavigne recalls growing up in segregated Emory Gap, Tennessee, where her grandfather bought all the schoolchildren new shoes every year. She details the cross-country trip that brought her to Las Vegas in 1994 and eventually to the AIA in 1995. The bulk of the interview focuses on the building where the AIA is housed and the history of the organization. In 2008 the AIA moved from its former home at UNLV’s School of Architecture to the historic Fifth Street School in downtown Las Vegas. Lavigne discusses the history of the building and its significance to the City of Las Vegas. She reveals plans to examine the architectural history Las Vegas to celebrate the AIA Chapter’s sixtieth anniversary. She also talks about diversity in the profession, the process of licensure, publications, continuing education, organizational records, and the now-defunct auxiliary organization, the Architects' Wives League.
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Architect Paul Senzaki, and artist-illustrator Charlie White III recall their experiences of working in Las Vegas: Paul on Treasure Island, The Palms, Fremont Street Experience, and World Market Center and Charlie on Treasure Island and its successor, TI; New York New York. Architectural historian Alan Hess, who is an expert on Las Vegas architecture, offers historical context and asks pertinent questions. While this interview touches on several iconic Las Vegas buildings, the conversation mostly details why and how Steve Wynn's Treasure Island involved the labors of artists, illustrators, art directors, and designers of stage and screen as well as the those of architects, contractors, planners, and subcontractors.
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