Vintage Las Vegas

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Old School Las Vegas

The first school of Las Vegas, Nevada

Photo: Circa 1905 – A converted hotel relocated from Main Street to 2nd & Lewis, used as the township's first schoolhouse, '05 to '10. Photo from the Stay family, collected by Las Vegas pioneer Helen J. Stewart. snv002547. Helen J. Stewart Photographs (PH-00104) UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

This is an overview of the first schools in Las Vegas, until World War II. The list does not include early schools outside the city limits such as those in Goodsprings, Blue Diamond, Paradise Valley, North Las Vegas, Basic Townsite (Henderson), etc.

Tent School ('05) A wood-floor tent located south of Las Vegas Creek, at the north end of 1st Street. Present location is approximately Main Street Station RV Park. Some sources date the school to '04.

Las Vegas Grammar School ('05-'10) 2nd & Lewis. Salt Lake Hotel was moved from Main St. to the southeast corner of 2nd & Lewis, converted into a school house, and opened Oct. '05. A second, smaller building was added later. The main school building was destroyed by fire Dec. '10. For the rest of the '10-11 school year classes remained in the second building while others moved to the Methodist Church and to, "a few shacks on the 200 block of N. 3rd St." The second building was relocated at a later date to 815 S. Tonopah Dr. near W. Charleston and served as Shady Spot (bar) and a private home. (RJ 3/13/49)

Las Vegas Grammar School ('11-'60) 4th & Bridger, the "first permanent school in Las Vegas." Kindergarten and Manual Arts buildings were added in the 20s. Used from '60-'65 as a school administration building. Sold to the federal government in '65, it was demolished and replaced by the Foley Federal Building.

Clark County High School ('17-'34) 4th & Bonneville. The county's first dedicated high school. After LVHS opened in '30, CCHS was used as a grammar school. CCHS was destroyed by fire on 5/14/34. An adjacent tent school was used from '34-'36, at which point CCHS was replaced by Historic Fifth Street School.

Westside School ('23-'67) 330 W. Washington Ave. Oldest surviving school house in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas High School ('30-'93) 315 S. 7th St. Las Vegas Academy of the Arts since '93.

Historic Fifth Street School ('36-'66) 4th & Bonneville. Opened as another "Las Vegas Grammar School," the name "Fifth Street School" came into use in the 40s.

North Ninth Street School ('43-'57) 600 N. 9th St. Elementary school.

Mayfair School ('43-'70s) 421 S. 15th St. Elementary School. Replaced with Fire Station 4 and Mayfair Place Park.

Biltmore School / Helen J. Stewart School ('43-) 801 Veterans Memorial Dr. The elementary school was called Biltmore School in its first year, then Helen J. Stewart School. The address was 201 E Washington before Veterans Memorial Dr was built. It was again renamed Biltmore School in '73. The original school house is now used as Mission High School. (Story: A man named Fred Pine came to Las Vegas in '02-'03 and lived in a tent by Las Vegas Creek, and in '43 he was building inspector for this school built on the same site. - A. E. Cahlan. From Where I Sit. Review-Journal, 6/14/43.)

Huntridge School / John S. Park School ('43- ) S. 10th & Franklin. Called Huntridge in its first year, renamed along with Helen J. Stewart school, the first schools in Las Vegas to be named after individuals.

Several more schools were built in the 40s-50s. Las Vegas schools were incorporated into the Clark County School District (CCSD), created in '56.

First grammar school after the addition of a bell tower.

Second grammar school. 4th-5th & Bridger. First school in Las Vegas built from the ground up.

Photos. Clockwise from top left: (1) Postcard from Wharton Drugs circa '11. Ferron and Bracken Photograph Collection (PH-00001), UNLV Special Collections & Archives. (2) Also circa '11. Postcard by Oakes Vegas Studio, a reprint of an older photo. (3) Undated circa '20s. The building on the left is the same design as the Westside School. (4) Circa '40s via CCSD archives. 

Clark County High School. 4th-5th & Bonneville.

(1, 2-3) Undated photo and postcard circa '25. Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection (PH-00214), UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Westside School in the '20s.

Las Vegas High School in the '40s

Fifth Street School in the '40s

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CCHS Seniors, '26. Photo by Oakes Vegas Studio. pho014118-028. Squires Collection (PH-0002), UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

5/14/34 - Clark County High School fire

'59 - Fifth Street School's gym on South 4th St. Photo by Robert Harrington. Harrington Photograph Collection (PH-00291) UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Source include: Contract is let for high school. Las Vegas Age, 6/9/17 p1; Fire Destroys Vegas School. Review-Journal, 5/14/34; New School Buildings To Be Ready In Fall. Review-Journal, 6/23/43; Names of Pioneer To Be Carried on Two Schools Here. Review-Journal, 8/31/44; How a Home, Old School House Once Used as Early-Day Road House. Review-Journal, 3/13/49 p10; End of an era. Review-Journal, 7/29/65; R. Lawson, T. Szymanski. Las Vegas Fire & Rescue: 65th Anniversary. (Stephens Press, 2008); Jami Carpenter, editor. Education in the Neon Shadow. Shephens Press, 2009.

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View from Caesars Palace facing west, circa 1967

The center low-rise wing was demolished in the '80s, and the rest including the pool were replaced in the '90s.

Appears to be some water in the Flamingo Wash running from the center of the image to the right.

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Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, 1963

Color photo from September; black and white from August, by Las Vegas News Bureau.

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Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, c. 1964

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Eden's Hotel, 120 South 6th St., Las Vegas. Photo by Mitchell Funk in 2005.

Eden's opened on 8/4/58, and was demolished in 2015 by Downtown Project DTPLV. The sign is in storage somewhere.

Photo by Corey Miller in 2012

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Abbe Lane at Nellis Air Force Base, September 30, 1953

Nellis AFB grew out of the former Las Vegas Army Air Field. After the US Air Force was established on 9/18/47, the site was renamed Las Vegas Air Force Base, then renamed again in honor of Lt. William Nellis of Las Vegas, pilot who died at the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg during World War II.

Abbe Lane was performing with Xavier Cugat & orchestra at Hotel Last Frontier in September 1953. The photos of Lane on the wing are by Las Vegas News Bureau; photo with the gun, found in the files of photographer MJ "Mo" Boisvert. A newswire photo (below) calls Lane "Miss Supersonic."

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Jackpot Motel, Wyoming Ave & Casino Center Blvd, circa 2000s.

Abbott Bridgman owned Jackpot Motel when it opened 1954. The motel was demolished in 2007. Undated photo via Videonv.

Empty Lot.

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Down Town Camp, Las Vegas, c. 1927

The first proto-motel in Las Vegas was J. Warren Woodard’s Down Town Camp, a service station and cottages, located at 300 N Main St, on the northwest corner of Main’s intersection with Stewart Ave.

In the '20s, architect Arthur Heineman came up with the idea of creating a series of small hotels to serve the automobile-traveling public along the California coast. At first, he used the term "motor hotel," then shortened it to "mo-tel," and he copyrighted the word "motel." Meantime, in Las Vegas, tourists had a difficult time finding a place to sleep that wasn't a traditional hotel or didn't require camping equipment. Then came J. Warren Woodard, who, besides serving as Clark County sheriff, became Las Vegas' first automobile dealer … [in '25] he opened the Down Town Camp, which offered more than just a flat spot of land; he promised his customers "clean cabins," "shower baths," a kitchen, a garage and free ice water. These were significant improvements for the traveler, but still a step away from motel-style accommodations, as Woodard promised kitchen and shower baths were communal. No motels were listed in the '31 Las Vegas telephone directory; the only automotive accommodations, all six of them, including Woodard's are listed under "Camp Grounds." - Bob Stoldal. The Vanishing Motel. Architecture Las Vegas, 2009.

The lodging was called Down Town Motel by the 40s, and closed by the late 40s.

August 1 (1927). Where we camped today. The back of the Albertype Postcard shown above.

Undated photo from Lake-Eglington Family Photograph Collection (PH-00010) UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Postcard (1929) from the collection of Bob Stoldal: Las Vegas through the eyes of a post card photographer.

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Fremont Street, Las Vegas, August 1960

(1) Fremont & Main facing east. (2) Horseshoe Club and Fremont Hotel. Marquee for Fremont Theater, far right, with new release Ocean's 11.

(3, 4, 5) Sundown at the Golden Nugget. On the marquee: Judy Lynn, Wade Ray, Abbie Neal, Lee & Fay Maynard. 

Thanks to Janna St Leon. All photos by Norman Valentine St Leon. 

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Fremont Street, Las Vegas - October 1967

(1) Slide scan from the Gary Lenhart collection. (2) Print photo, Vintage Las Vegas Collection. Judy Lynn Show, Kenny Vernon Show, Jody’s Country Cousins, Tony Austin Show at Golden Nugget. YESCO truck servicing the Horseshoe sign.

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East view from the Desert Inn, February 1981.

Guardian Angel Cathedral, Las Vegas Hilton, Landmark Hotel, Bali Hai, Desert Inn Rd.

Wimbledon tower at Desert Inn, Feb. 1981.

Slide scans from the Gary Lenhart collection.

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Stardust, April 1972

Slide scan from the Gary Lenhart collection.

Gray Lines bus – "Night Club Tour" – under the Stardust marquee and porte cochère in 1972. Press photo, uncredited.

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Monte Carlo Club – Home of More Jack Pots. Staged casino scene in 1952, and the exterior marquee and sign circa '54. Photos by Las Vegas News Bureau.

Located at 15 Fremont St, Monte Carlo Club was opened in the '40s by Wilbur Clark & partners in the former Northern Club.

History of the Northern and Monte Carlo Club, 15 Fremont

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Sands, Las Vegas, c. May 1955. Chorus girl Linda Lawson, photographed by Loomis Dean.

Photos by Loomis Dean, Life magazine.

Another day circa May 1955, Lawson was photographed by Las Vegas News Bureau with the same atomic cloud "crown" used for a photo op dubbed "Miss Cue" with singer Margueriete Piazza on 5/1/55. These images were purely photos rather that pageants, referencing atomic testing in Nevada, and distributed in the national press to promote Las Vegas.

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Las Vegas Strip, July 1969

The same week man landed on the moon, an unknown photographer landed in Vegas and took these photos of the Strip. The first three were the view from the Sands, others on the blvd.

Buck Owens at Bonanza; Petula Clark and Mart Crowley's "Boys in the Band" at Caesars; Steve & Eydie at Sands (7/27/69).

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MGM Grand with Jackson Five and Pat Cooper in the showroom. We're facing west with the Dunes across the road. November 1974. Gary Lenhart collection.

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Aerial photos of Las Vegas in 1978

South end of the Las Vegas Strip, facing north.

The Strip at Flamingo Road. Barbary Coast under construction. Flamingo Capri’s Imperial Tower visible, upper right.

Three aerials by Jeff Robbins, Associated Press, early 1978. (1) Frontier, Las Vegas Strip, Desert Inn Rd. Far right, construction of the Augusta tower underway at Desert Inn. (2) Downtown facing west. Maryland Pkwy in the foreground. (3) I-15 and Downtown Expressway facing southeast.