LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new housing complex, located at 627 South 10th St., is currently under construction in downtown Las Vegas.
The people behind the project are one of the very few minorities making a name for themselves in the area’s revitalization.
“We’ve been vandalized a couple of times here,” Jose Pichardo said. “For 20 plus years, this was an abandoned piece of land. As we started cleaning up this lot, we found hundreds of needles.”
For a while, it was just a dream. One that soon became a reality.
“Back in June 1999, my wife and I decided to move to Henderson, Nevada, almost the very same day that we’re moving, I see this truck move into the house next door,” Pichardo said.
That’s how he met his good friend Herbert Wadsworth, an African American merchant marine.
“There’s a lot of history on minorities not having those opportunities in Las Vegas to be a part of the economic activity,” said Herbert’s son, Jason Wadsworth.
Lave Om, which means change, combines elements of high-rise living into a smaller setting.
“We are trying to give back to the community in an area that’s been under-served for years,” Pichardo said.
Chris Courtney is overseeing the site’s architecture. He is the Director of Architecture at Bunny Fish Studio.
“This is a local grown project. I graduated from UNLV. I was born and raised in Las Vegas,” Courtney said. “Downtown is booming, but there’s little pockets of development all around. So, we feel that this is a change or Lave Om for this area downtown.”
Lave Om is set to open its doors in mid-February.
