The Las Vegas Grammar School was established in 1936 on the site of the original Las Vegas School. Also called The Fifth Street School, as it sits downtown on Las Vegas Boulevard (Formerly 5th St.), this site is not to be confused with the other school located at Washington Ave. and D Street, also called The Las Vegas Grammar School. The mission style building included a classroom complex, courtyards, and gymnasium. The building served as a primary school through the late 50's and fed directly into Las Vegas High School just a couple blocks away, which was constructed a few years prior to this facility.
After it's decommissioning as a school, it served as an annex to The Las Vegas Courthouse, a police substation, and continued use as a classroom complex for different Las Vegas groups. In 1988 the building was added to the Nation Register of Historic Places. It continued it's function as a city building with eclectic functions until it was decided to give the property a $9.5 million renovation to return it to a fully functioning educational facility for the arts and architecture. Lewis Street, which borders the north end of the property, was closed off to construct a corridor leading to The Centennial Plaza which was constructed on the former school yard next to the gymnasium. This complex is the home to the Centennial Time Capsule which will be opened in 2105.
In November of 2007 a fire was started by a vagrant which gutted the whole building. Work continues to rebuild, prepare for reuse, and preserve this historic facility located in the heart of Las Vegas.
