Clay Heximer, historian and preservationist of the Paradise Palms neighborhood.  Photo courtesy of Clay Heximer — Clay Heximer, historian and preservationist of the Paradise Palms neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Clay Heximer

Preservation Spotlight: Clay Heximer, neighborhood preservationist

May 31, 2014

You may know Clay Heximer. He recently was profiled by writer Geoff Carter in Vegas Seven as "The Man Who Would Be Mid-Town"

But many of us have known Clay for quite some time. He and his wife Denise live in Paradise Palms, the wonderful Mid-Century Modern housing tract that surrounds the National Golf Course, just off Desert Inn behind the Boulevard Mall.

When I was growing up in Las Vegas in the 1960s, the National Golf Course was then known as the Stardust Golf Course. But it wasn't the golf course that caught my eye. It was the houses, most of which were visible from the car as you drove down East Desert Inn.

Those wonderful Palmer and Krisel were space age wonders and very different from the Sproul homes in my own neighborhood in Charleston Heights.

Clay and Denise live in Paradise Palms and their successful community outreach and history sharing has inspired many of their neighbors to learn more about their homes and the history of the neighborhood.

Clay started a website dedicated to the neighborhood, called appropriately enough, Paradise Palms and, like Joel Rosales, has been photographing the changing landscape of the city and the county.

Clay has been organizing and fighting to bring Historic Preservation ordinances to Clark County and he has been successful in convincing others to join his cause.

As we close Preservation Month and the Preservation Spotlight series winds down, it was important to me to include a grass-roots leader of history and preservation in the series.

Clay graciously agreed to answer some questions and spread the word about the importance of our neighborhoods, all of our historic neighborhoods.

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in preserving Southern Nevada history?

Heximer: Before moving to town I remember taking a family trip to Las Vegas. I recall sitting in the back of my uncle’s station wagon, driving down the strip. I was in awe of all the neon but I specifically thought the Stardust sign was the coolest thing ever. Since then, I just knew there was something special about this place and had gained an appreciation for classic Vegas.

When I was 19, I worked with a construction company that was contracted the prep the Dunes for implosion. I remember being taken back by the celebration of the destruction of our history and was shocked by the disregard for

Costume sketch of "Showboat" costume from Hallelujah, Hollywood! production number  Photo courtesy of Karan Feder — Costume sketch of "Showboat" costume from Hallelujah, Hollywood! production number Photo courtesy of Karan Feder

Preservation Spotlight: Karan Feder, Costume/Clothing preservationist

May 30, 2014

I had heard about Karan Feder's work as clothing and costume preservationist before I met her last September. When our paths finally did cross, it was because my mother was moving to a Senior Living establishment and the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas was interested in some of her and my late dad's vintage clothing (my mother had outfits dating back to the late 1960s/early 1970s).

Karan has long been interested in preserving clothing but the classic Las Vegas era from the 1950s-1980s with its entertainers, showroom production numbers and the way that people used to dress to see a show, is of special interest to her.

She is the President of Entertainment Exhibitions and the Volunteer Curator of Costumes and Textiles at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.

We had a great time talking about the challenges of preserving clothing and costumes:

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in preserving clothing and what makes clothing an important part of history?

Feder: The bulk of my professional background is in costume design and fashion design. The foundation for both fields is built on the study of the history of dress. The varying physical silhouettes of dress throughout the ages are definitely a fascinating science, but even more interesting are the reasons behind the variations. Culture and fashion are connected at the hip. With every new fashionable mutation, there is an intriguing story that serves to define the wearer's society, philosophy, sophistication, morality, economic status, etc.

Costume & textiles are often not afforded the value of study and preservation as are other collections within a traditional museum. Who would argue against preserving a beautiful 20th century oil painting, but a 20th century pantsuit? We put on clothes every day, wash our clothes and buy and dispose of clothing on a regular basis. Our culture has made clothing ubiquitous, easy to obtain and thus our relationship with it has been changed. We don't necessarily regard dress as artifact. By and large, current culture isn't contemplating the beauty of the pantsuit or the expert skills required to manufacture it, the

Heidi Swank  Photo Courtesy of Las Vegas CityLife — Heidi Swank Photo Courtesy of Las Vegas CityLife

Preservation Spotlight: Heidi Swank, Preservationist

May 29, 2014

I first met Heidi about eight years ago when we were both involved in the early days of the Atomic Age Alliance, an organization dedicated to Mid-Century Modern Las Vegas. She and her husband were both passionate about Mid-Century Modern architecture and wanted to learn more about Las Vegas' role in that history.

She and her husband, Scott, have a MCM home in the historic Beverly Green neighborhood that they have lovingly restored. They live in a 1956 Cinderella ranch designed by Hugh Taylor for Rose and Louis Molasky the parents of Irwin Molasky. They co-founded the popular Flamingo Club- a roving, invitation-only neighborhood mixer whose motto is “Building community one cocktail party at a time."

She is dedicated to the worthy idea that our classic homes are worth saving. While Las Vegas experienced tremendous growth in the final decades of the 20th century and early 21st century, its original neighborhoods offer a look back at not only how the city grew but through its architecture offers insight to those years before the explosion boom and what was important to the residents who owned those homes.

In addition to be elected to the Nevada State Assembly for District 16, she is also the Exective Director of the Nevada Preservation Foundation.

The NPF is a "non-profit that provides historic designation and grant support to neighborhoods, homeowners, and business owners who reside in a historic area or own a historic building. The Foundation supplies much needed support to navigate the extensive process of obtaining local, state, or federal historic designations. Once designated the Foundation also provides grant-writing support and functions as a clearinghouse for grants benefiting historic districts/homes. As more of our state’s architectural past ages into eligibility for historic designation, it is important for the stability of our communities that we work to maintain our history."

Despite her very busy schedule, we were able to interview her for this series.

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in preserving Southern Nevada history?

Swank: As an anthropologist by training, I have long been interested in the ways in which our past makes us who we are today. In particular, I'm interested in how our built environment and the ways in which space is used in these homes reflects and impacts how we see them, how we use them, and how we understand ourselves.

One of the more interesting things about Southern Nevada history is that there isn't a lot of time depth. Many people discount the area because of this saying we don't have any history. However, because our history is relatively new it is in many ways more interesting.

We don't have hundreds of years of

Mark Hall-Patton enjoying Heritage Street at the Clark County Museum  Photo courtesy of Allen Sandquist — Mark Hall-Patton enjoying Heritage Street at the Clark County Museum Photo courtesy of Allen Sandquist

Preservation Spotlight: Mark Hall-Patton, historian

May 28, 2014

You've probably seen on on TV- from the local access Clark County channel to History Channel's Pawn Stars to talking with the late Huell Howser on Road Trip, Mark Hall-Patton is one of the most recognizable faces of local history.

With his Amish-like beard, ever-present Atwood hat and relaxed manner, Mark has become a favorite of producers when they want someone to talk about Las Vegas Valley history. He oversees the Clark County Museum system, including the Clark County Museum out on Boulder Highway - the home of Heritage Street, the Searchlight Museum and the Cannon Aviation Museum at McCarran Airport.

He also is the history advisor on the very popular Pawn Stars cable show. Despite his busy schedule and the fact he was planning an out-of-town trip, we were able to persuade him to answer a few questions.

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in Las Vegas history?

MHP: I came to the Vegas area in December 1993 to help create and manage a museum at McCarran International Airport. Now known as the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, I had to do a great deal of research to know the history I was presenting.

As a local historian anywhere I reside, I began researching Las Vegas and Clark County history. I found our history interesting, but with many holes which led me to more research. In 2008 I was asked by the County to take over the entire Clark County museum system (3 museums, including the Clark County

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