LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Pride Month comes to a close, a lasting tribute is making history in the Las Vegas valley.
This area is known as the Fruit Loop, which originally served as a safe space and symbol of resilience for the Las Vegas LGBTQ+ community. Now, it's an official historic landmark.
WATCH | Creative director of Gipsy Las Vegas reacts to Fruit Loop's historic designation
The Fruit Loop is a place of belonging that many call home, including Vegas native Garrett Pattiani.
"It's important to be recognized for the development of the area and the contributions that the community brings to the city," Pattiani said.
As a local, Pattiani has seen the space evolve over the years, and now serves as the creative director at Gipsy Las Vegas — one of the most iconic clubs at the Fruit Loop. He shared his thoughts with me on the Fruit Loop's official status as a historic landmark.
"It's one thing to be recognized in our own community, but it's quite another to have the official title being recognized by the city," Pattiani said.
The Fruit Loop is home to legendary LGBTQ+ spaces, including nightclubs, bars, shops, and decades of stories.
"Dating back to the 1980s, this was the place where the first HIV AIDS fundraiser was happening," shared Pattiani.
Pattiani tells me that the history of the area goes back much farther than that.
"In the 1950s, there were some clubs. Club Black Magic, where I picked up my history, was starting in the 1970s, with this same club being called Disco Fever, and in '78 to '81 it was called Village Station. There were raids, police raids, and it caught on fire... We're resilient as a community," he added.
With a new designation comes a new chapter — one built on pride, preservation, and people who paved the way.
"It's important to recognize people like Dennis McBride that put the LGBTQ history... preserved at the UNLV library," said Pattiani.
According to Pattiani, the Fruit Loop has always been a place where you could feel seen — and safe.
"We just want to always make that people know that when they're in these doors... they're safe, they're protected, they have security, and we're not gonna let anything happen to them," he said.
While Pride Month is celebrated in June nationally, Las Vegas opts to celebrate it in October to beat the heat — and Pattiani assures me that you can expect a full lineup of festivities in the newly recognized historic Fruit Loop.
