Clark County Puts $30M Toward Turning Historic Commercial Center into Arts District

Clark County is proceeding with an exciting plan to rejuvenate the Historic Commercial Center in Las Vegas. The plan is to turn the mid-century complex into a cultural/mixed-use development. Gensler is presenting today its rendering of the project, which shows a lively activity center that includes outdoor event space, an open gathering area, and possibly some acquisition of nearby real estate that allows for residential options like apartments or condos.

The county has already invested $10 million to acquire properties within the center and plans to allocate another $20 million toward essential upgrades. The project is being framed as a way to reconnect surrounding neighborhoods and attract a diverse range of entrepreneurs and creatives, including a growing group of “artrepreneurs.”

An emerging trend has seen art galleries relocate from the Arts District to the Commercial Center, drawn by lower rents and the promise of a revitalized community. Derek Stonebarger, a local business owner and the namesake of Rebar, is creating a new concept that he calls Arty's — a new steakhouse that also includes an art gallery, which will appeal to the region's artistic environment.
The focus on place-making for the revitalization was part of larger planning exercises earlier in 2023 when Clark County was studying examples from Nashville and others, to inform updates to the zoning code that emphasize walkability and a social environment.

Commission Chair Tick Segerblom praised the district's potential and historic value, emphasizing its location just east of the Las Vegas Strip and along a forthcoming bus rapid transit line. “Look around the world, look around Las Vegas, look around the United States, see what you think: is this place worth revitalizing? If so, how would you revitalize it? And this is their initial impression,” Segerblom said. “They said, ‘let's keep it, there's a lot of history here.' It's so close to the Strip. It's so close to the new bus line coming in. It's really a treasure. We just need to enhance it and keep building it,” he said.