Tenant mix said to signal downtown vitality

Top, the 11th Street Lofts stand at 1126 Carson Ave. Left, the structures, which are made of corrugated metal, offer loft-style living space.Marlene Karas/View Top, the 11th Street Lofts stand at 1126 Carson Ave. Left, the structures, which are made of corrugated metal, offer loft-style living space.Marlene Karas/View Advertisement

By ERICA VITAL

VIEW STAFF WRITER

When Houston developer Larry Davis wanted to dress a corner of 11th Street at 1126 Carson Ave. in downtown with loft-style townhomes made of corrugated metal and accented by bright blue doors, there were questions.

How would the contemporary design fit into the aging downtown corridor bordered by Fremont Street and Maryland Parkway? And who would be the first pioneers to an urban resurgence that lies outside of the bounds of the high-rises and Strip properties?

It seems answers to any skeptics have come in the form of sales. On the eve of 11th Street Lofts' grand opening this month, 24 of the community's 30 residences were already sold. They range in price from $289,500 to $359,500.

The appeal of the downtown location and the design of the three-story townhomes have lured a range of residents, from downtown lawyers to casino executives, according to Trinity Schlottman, Las Vegas division manager for Davis' Urban Lofts development company.

"We have five attorneys, the director of alcohol from the MGM, a CFO of a gaming company and a teacher. A good mixture," Schlottman said. "It's exciting when people can see the vision of what's going on in downtown. People see the new projects coming and they see the potential for future development. Downtown Las Vegas is promising."

Showing its dedication to the development of downtown's Fremont East District, which sits adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience, the city's Redevelopment Agency contributed funds toward renovation to attract nongaming nightclubs, entertainment and cocktail lounges.

The Beauty Bar at 517 Fremont St., The Griffin at 511 Fremont St. and Mickie Finnz Fish House & Bar at 425 Fremont St. are a few of more than a dozen nightclub and dining spots that are pioneering the effort to bring new life to this older part of the city.

In many ways, this new urban style of loft-living in the heart of a shifting downtown also is tried and true, said Michael Cornthwaite, an 11th Street Lofts resident.

Cornthwaite, the owner of the Downtown Cocktail Room, a softly lit lounge at 111 Las Vegas Blvd., was one of the first to buy an 11th Street Loft home.

He said he already was a strong believer in the energy of the district, having owned a home a little more than a mile away.

"I've trekked all over the world," said Cornthwaite. "Barcelona, Washington, D.C., Chicago. And I've always gravitated to places where you can live, work, walk and socialize all in one area."

Las Vegas City Councilman Gary Reese said he greeted the groundbreaking two years ago with the enthusiasm he holds for the growing number of downtown residential and entertainment projects.

He pointed to the renovation of older properties, such as a $20 million dollar addition to the El Cortez and ongoing renovation of the Golden Nugget, which will spend more than $150 million this year in the construction of a 500-room tower. As the 11th Street Lofts announced its official grand opening, Reese said he was still a big fan.

"We have a lot of new people moving into downtown," he said. "With the lofts and other projects such as the Streamline Towers, we're bringing the attorneys back to downtown and the city employees. There's a lot of vitality going on downtown."

Davis has a reputation for spinning acres of once blighted downtown areas into urban gold. The developer's bright steel constructions have become a part of stylized metropolitan living in Dallas, Houston and downtown Atlanta.

Along with the use of Galvalume, the registered trademark name for the patented sheet of corrosion-resistant alloys, Davis' defining signatures have been high ceilings, airy, light-filled spaces and decorator floors, such as wood and treated concrete.

Perhaps what is most striking is Davis' use of color against the starkness of the steel, which, in turn, defies the urban landscape.

Constructing contemporary spaces can bring new life into traditional neighborhoods outside of the revitalization zone, as well, according to Ken Wolfson, developer of the five-story luxury loft development The Avenue within the Scotch 80s at 517 S. Tonopah Drive.

"I did my best to design a building that doesn't adhere to anything that was done before," Wolfson said as he prepared for the February grand opening of the five loft homes that have been constructed with 20-foot-high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. "This is an alternative to high-rise, large construction. I wanted to bring distinctive architecture. high-quality interiors, high quality exteriors. I like to think what we've brought to the area is complementary. What I'm accomplishing here is setting the design standard," Wolfson said.

In a separate project, Urban Lofts will begin construction of Fremont Street Lofts, on Fremont Street between Eastern Avenue and Bruce Street, in May. The development will include 70 luxury loft residences.