LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center added to National Historic Register
The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is thrilled to announce that the League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) Multi-Purpose Senior Center has been officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service (NPS). This significant designation recognizes the center’s vital role in Las Vegas history and its importance to the Hispanic and Latino communities.
The LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center was constructed in 1985-86 (commonly called the LULAC Senior Center and known subsequently as the Arturo Cambiero Senior Center). The property derives its significance from its association with the influential actions of the local council of the LULAC aimed at improving and enhancing the support systems available to Spanish-speaking seniors in Las Vegas. The LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center in Las Vegas is one of only two senior centers nationwide designed and built by LULAC. The LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center is locally significant as the first example of a building that was constructed by a Las Vegas Latino non-profit organization for providing services to Las Vegas Latino community members.
To commemorate its history and importance to the community, the National Park Service (NPS) recently listed the senior center in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register recognizes places that are of historic and cultural significance and expands opportunities for grant funding and tax incentives aimed at preserving and protecting these special sites.
The property currently functions as the Adult Day Healthcare Center at the Arturo Cambiero Senior Center and is located at 330 N. 13th Street in Las Vegas, Nevada. The property is owned by the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (previously the Las Vegas Housing Authority), who has leased the property to the operators of the facility since its construction and dedication on November 2, 1986. The senior center is a single-story Spanish Colonial Revival Style building, the style chosen by LULAC for its relevance to the Latino community. Despite a 2015 addition, at the core of the building is the original 1985-86 massing, which retains its key architectural elements.
The LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center is locally significant under Criterion A in the areas of Ethnic Heritage: Hispanic and Social History. LULAC is a nationwide Latino advocacy group established on February 27, 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Founded in 1978, LULAC Council #11081 was one of several community-based, non-profit organizations formed between the late 1960s and the early 1980s to improve the quality of life of Las Vegas Latino community members. With 525 councils nationwide, LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States.
The LULAC Multi-Purpose Senior Center joins other Las Vegas and Clark County resources listed in the National Register, including the Leroy and Carrie Christensen House, Las Vegas Grammar School (“Westside School”), Harrison’s Guest House, the Berkeley Square Historic District, and many others. Las Vegas is one of six Certified Local Governments (CLG) in Nevada. CLG communities are municipalities that have demonstrated, through a certification process, commitment to local preservation and is a partnership program between the National Park Service, State Historic Preservation Office, and local governments.
For more information about this listing or the National Register program, please visit https://shpo.nv.gov/or contact Jean-Guy Tanner Dubé, National and State Register Coordinator in the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office at (775) 684-3439 or shpo-info@shpo.nv.gov.