Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1929-02-23
MILLION DOLLAR
HOTELCOMING,
SAYS LAWRENCE
HE'LL "BUILD WITHOUT
AID FROM CITY IF
NECESSARY"

Financial arrangements and
plans for a new million dollar
= hotel project have been brought
to the point where construction
can be started in a very short
time, said T. J. Lawrence and
Frank N. Riley of Los Angeles
in an interview with the Age
this morning.
MIR. Lawrence stated that the
project will be carried to cem-
pletiOn regardless Of whether or
not the City of Las Vegas cares
to make any land concessions
to the builders.
"Olr attention has been called to
the editorial whcih appeared in the
Las Vegas Evening Review under
date of February Is, 1929" said
Mr.. Lawrence. while it is not our
wish in any way to become involv-
ed in any controversy with the
newspapers of Las Vegas, nor with
any of the officials of the City of
Las Vegas, yet do believe that a
statement from us would perhaps
be appropriate at this time, par
ticularly when we realize the pos
sibility of the people of Las Vegas
getting an opinion that may not
be consistent With facts relative 70
the promotional end of the pro-
posed tourist hotel.
Originated Here
THE thought and offer of sub
sidizing (if we may call it that)
the development and erection in
or near the City of Las Vegas OF q
tourist hotel project which would
cost $1,OOOOO0 and upward, origin
ated with the City of Las Vegas,
the Las Vegas Land and Water
Company and the Chamber Of
Commerce of the City Of Las We
gas, which association ha sactually
printed and distributed pamphlets
so evidencing the original thought
of offering land as q consideration
for the elimination Of such a pro-
ject. In addition to all of this your
local newspapers in the past have
contributed very largely to the idea.
Surely your city, the Chamber
of Commerce and local newspapers
must have realized that the dew
elopment Of project Of this kind
is one with decided pioneering con-
ditions. Surely they must have
realized that it requires a very
valuable consideration in order to
interest sufficient capital to pro-
ceed. A number Of people backed
whole-heartedly by your city and
its Chamber of Commerce, and its
newspapers, have attempted In the
past to realize and give the City OF
Las Vegas the type of project
which it has been longing to have.
and the fact that this development
has not been realized certainly
should have proven that 1t is not
an easy matter to work out the
financial requirements attendant
to. such q project.
Decided To City
"As we understand 1t, the Las
Vegas Land and Water Company
originally decided to the City OF
Las Vegas some 80 acres Of land
under the express conditions and
provisions that this acreage was to
be used for agricultural purposes
and only for exhibiting agricultur-
al products. The property has not
been used for these purposes, and
subsequent to the acquisition OF
the property, the tourist hotel pro-
ject injected itself. In order to
further the development OF the
hotel project, the City worked out
the necessary procedure so 1t could
re-deed the property back to the
Las Vegas Land and Water Com
pany to be used for hotel purposes.
And at present we understand this
land is held by the Las Vegas Land
and Water Company under these
conditions.
'"The people of Las Vegas surely
realize that they cannot sell this
property and that under the pres
ent arrangements 1t can only be
used for hotel purposes, and we
are led to believe that If 1t is deed
ed back to the City 1t can only be
used for agricultural purposes. II
this is true, being as familiar as
we are with the Las Vegas terri
tory, its past conditions, as well as
its present, we as business men
backed by years Of experience In
the conservative and proper devel-
opment of communities, really and
conscientiously believe that 1t
would be ultra good Judgment on
the part of the City actually to
donate this land to any substantial