The Smith Center for the Performing Arts: Deco in Vegas - Buildipedia

Las Vegas is known for its over-the-top re-creations of period architecture and, in some cases, of entire cities. Where else can you view interpretations of Caesar’s Palace, an ancient Egyptian pyramid, and modern-day New York City? The newest addition to Vegas’s collection of notable architecture is an Art Deco behemoth inspired by the nearby Hoover Dam.

Washington, D.C.-based firm David M. Schwarz Architects (DMSAS) has designed The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a new 385,000 square foot facility that looks historic from the outside but conceals the latest in theater technology. This building is not ironic in the typical Vegas fashion, nor is it a tourist magnet, but rather an amenity for the permanent citizens of the city.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is the anchor for a 61-acre development called Symphony Park in downtown Las Vegas. DMSAS designed the Smith Center as a weighty and massive structure anchored by a 170' tall carillon tower with 47 bronze bells. In line with the project’s theme of “timelessness,” durable materials abound throughout, including 2,458 tons of Indiana limestone, although intricate ornamentation helps to offset the bulk. The Smith Center features gleaming terrazzo floors and elegant, 19'-long Deco-style chandeliers that grace the lobbies. Wood panels and aluminum latticework round out the rich but streamlined material palette. Several sculptures were commissioned for the project, including a bronze statue of Fred W. and Mary Smith by William Behrendsand a piece by Benjamin Victor that was inspired by the Winged Figures of the Republic at the Hoover Dam.

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