LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A home in the Historic Westside is being preserved for future generations.
The Christensen House, which was built in the 1930s by Leroy and Carrie Christensen and is located at 500 W. Van Buren Avenue, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The building is one of the first permanent residences in the neighborhood and the Christensen's regularly hosted neighborhood events and functioned as a social hub for middle-class African Americans in the area.
For example, a fashion show was produced for television at the home in 1948 and featured Moulin Rouge owner Sarann Knight-Preddy as one of the models.
The home features a stone tower crowned with a conical roof, a stone chimney, and rusticated concrete block walls.
"I admired these stones I spotted down at the railroad yard. We had a vision that we could use these stones to build us a home. We prayed. that maybe somehow we would get those stones," Carrie said in a 1989 interview. "Then, one day, I convinced my husband to go down to the railroad yard and ask if we could have them. While he was inquiring, I waited in the car. Meanwhile, a man approached me. I told him what I was waiting for. He said, 'Ma'am, if you want these stones, you can have them.' I asked who should I say gave us permission. He told me his name and it turned out he was the manager of the railroad yard. Surely those stones were a gift from the Lord."
Today, the house is cared for by Las Vegas Catholic Worker, an organization that is centered around social justice and assisting the poor.
"Adding the Christensen House to the National Register of Historic Places honors the legacy of Elder Leroy and Carrie Christensen, preserving the unique and beautiful home that they constructed, as well as their inspirational story of ingenuity, fortitude, and resilience," organization founder Julia Occhiogrosso said.
