UNLV's first building still on chopping block despite rally

Maude Frazier Hall's razing is in master plan for Midtown UNLV

Jacob Kepler/ViewCary Stratton from the Atomic Age Alliance protests on the steps of Maude Frazier Hall at UNLV, 4505 Maryland Parkway. The alliance, which is dedicated to preserving mid-century modern architecture, led a rally on Nov. 28 to encourage the Nevada Board of Regents to reconsider tearing down the building, which was the first building erected on campus 50 years ago. Advertisement

At first glance, Maude Frazier Hall on the east side of the UNLV campus is a small, unassuming building, but it has stirred up a disproportionate amount of controversy. The building has stood on the UNLV campus for 50 years -- in fact, it was the first building on campus. That bit of history, as well as its architectural significance, brought out a number of people on Nov. 28 to object to its proposed demolition.

The decision to remove the building was made in 2004, before current UNLV President David Ashley took the job. The building is, by Las Vegas' standards, very old. There are, of course, many of the typical problems associated with older buildings, including asbestos problems and a flat roof that has some issues. It was built in an age before every office needed heavy-duty wiring and Internet accessibility. It also interferes with the master plan to open the campus up more to Maryland Parkway and the Midtown UNLV development.

But at the Nov. 28 rally, there were quite a few opponents to the demolition. A number of students chanted "save Maude's hall" and "save our his-story," which quickly segued into "save our her-story" and "save Maude's hall."

Maude Frazier, for whom the building is named, was a teacher before becoming a principal. For a time, she was both superintendent of the Clark County School District and principal of Las Vegas High School. She served for 12 years in the Nevada Assembly before being appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1962, following the death of Lt. Gov. Rex Bell. She was a tireless advocate for education and campaigned for the creation of an institute of higher education in Southern Nevada. She was honored for that work by being given the task of shoveling the first spadeful of dirt on the campus that would become UNLV and by having the first building on the campus named for her.

Several members of local organizations and concerned citizens gave speeches imploring university officials to save Maude Frazier Hall.

Josh Giedel, acting president of the Atomic Age Alliance, an organization concerned with preserving mid-century modern architecture, led the proceedings, introducing the speakers. Sheri Whritenour of Las Vegas Academy presented a petition to save the hall with more than 700 signatures that had been gathered in just a few days.

Dr. Eugene Moehring, UNLV professor and author of the recently published "The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, A History," outlined the historical importance of the building, saying "Obviously, we have to save it. It's been the entryway to UNLV since the school's been here. It's an icon that should not be destroyed. You can't just get rid of all the old buildings, you need a mix of old and new, you can't bulldoze everything that's old. This is not the Strip."

Also speaking at the rally were curator and urban historian Brian Paco Alverez, UNLV Anthropology Society president Heidi Manlove and Regent Mark Alden. Mary Margaret Stratton, director of the Atomic age Alliance, wrapped up the rally, saying, "We began the Atomic Age Alliance not to be antagonistic to development or growth, but to provide education and show a third way -- where preservation, culture and economics can peacefully coincide." She then led the crowd in a rendition of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance," with the word "peace" replaced by "Maude." The crowd moved down to the Frazier building and laid flowers and signs in front it.

Jay Nailor, vice president of the Atomic Age Alliance, was pleased that the rally drew attention to the matter. "I hope we can convince President Ashley of the building's potential for adaptive re-use." Manlove called the rally "great," and said, "I hope (the regents) take history and culture into consideration."

Alden put discussion of the issue on the agenda for the Nov. 30 Nevada Board of Regents' meeting, where members of the Atomic Age Alliance presented their concerns. Alden gave assurance that only two of the regents and the president wanted to see the building demolished.

"Regent Wixom seemed very cold and annoyed," said Alverez, referring to Regent Chair Michael Wixom. Stratton expressed disappointment that "President Ashley didn't take the opportunity to make the political opportunity to re-open the issue."

She also noted the board's disinterest in the issue. "One of our members contributed thousands of dollars of pro-bono work drawing up a plan to revitalize the building," said Stratton, "but that didn't seem to matter to them; their minds were set."

UNLV spokesman Dave Tonelli noted that the building has asbestos and mold issues. "Remediation of (the toxins from) the building would be expensive," he said, "and the building was never meant to stand as long as it's been around."

Tonelli also said it wouldn't be feasible to move the building, a statement Alverez disagreed with. "The Neon Museum managed to move the La Concha, which was presumed to be a very difficult building to move," he said. Tonelli asserted, "We are absolutely going to honor Maude Frazier, but she should be better honored."

Regent Wixom said it was a complicated issue. "An institution's history is an enormously valuable asset," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't live in a cash-rich system right now, and there are a lot of demands on that system. We have to balance the present needs and resources of the system against history. There is not an easy answer."

Although Alden estimated that restoration of the building would cost around $ 2.5 million, he was confident that money could be raised privately. There are, however, other issues to consider. The people who work in the building have strong opinions about it, as well.

As the rally moved away from the Frazier building, several women walked out, making statements such as "If they like the building so much, maybe they should work here." The building, they say, is mold infested. They also claim that nearly everyone who has worked there has had respiratory infections and other medical issues. Although most of the women declined to go on the record, admissions and records assistant Deborah Salazar Bieber was not so reticent. She indicated a number of trees in front of the building.

"All those trees are memorials to women who worked here who died, almost all of them of lung or breast cancer," she said. "It's great that Maude Frazier is honored, but she's not the only one who should be."