Vegas Grand Prix
While Las Vegas sees its share of special events, the biggest may be yet to come. The city is moving forward with plans for the Vegas Grand Prix, a three-day festival of racing, concerts and sporting activities. The event, which is scheduled for April 6 to 8, 2007, will kick off the 2007 Champ Car World Series.

The race will feature open wheel cars that can reach speeds of up to 190 miles per hour. The cars will run on a specially constructed 2.4-mile course through downtown, accessing Ogden Avenue, Main Street, Casino Center Boulevard and Carson Avenue.

Promoters expect the event to attract thousands of residents and tourists to downtown and garner international attention. In addition, the event is expected to generate millions of dollars for the local economy, including state and local tax revenues.

Historic Post Office
The historic downtown Post Office is beginning its much anticipated transformation into a cultural center and museum. The City Council recently approved a $7.5 million architectural services contract with architects Westlake Reed Leskosky for historic preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive use of the space. The firm has extensive experience in museum planning and federal building rehabilitation.

The museum will feature approximately 13,000 square feet of exhibition space that will accommodate cultural, civic and educational programming as well as receptions, special events and conferences. It is scheduled to open in early 2008.

The Post Office, which is schedule to open in early 2008, is located at the corner of Fourth Street and Stewart Avenue and was built in 1933.

Union Park
The 61-acre  downtown parcel know as Union Park has taken another step to becoming the hub of downtown activity as the city signed an exclusive negotiating agreement to explore the feasibility of developing a World Jewelry Center on the site.

The project is expected to be a showcase that would serve both the jewelry industry and the general public with corporate offices and retail shops.

The center would be located on 5.4 acres within Union Park. It would join other development already in the planning stages such as the Keep Memory Alive Alzheimer’s Institute , being designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, and the Smith Center for Performing Arts.

When complete, Union Park will include, among other things, more than two million square feet of office space, 3,600 residential units and 1,750 hotel rooms.