Nevada State Veterans Memorial opens at Thunderbird Family Sports Complex after its move from downtown Las Vegas

What happened

The Nevada State Veterans Memorial opened Wednesday in its new location in Centennial Hills, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The ceremony included the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and a helicopter flyover, and state and city of Las Vegas leaders marked the memorial having a permanent home.

The memorial sits at the northwest end of the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex, at 6105 N. Durango Drive near West Tropical Parkway. According to the Review-Journal, the project broke ground in January. The opening fell on Veterans Day, the same morning hundreds turned out for the Las Vegas Veterans Day parade downtown.

Why the memorial had to move

Its original downtown home

The memorial was first dedicated in 2015 outside the Grant Sawyer Building in downtown Las Vegas, the Review-Journal reported. Its centerpiece was a set of 18 7-and-a-half-foot bronze statues by sculptor Douwe Blumberg, depicting service members from conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War.

Sale of the Grant Sawyer Building

The memorial had to relocate after the state sold the Grant Sawyer Building, which state officials said had problems with leaking sewage and mold complaints. Lennar Corp. bought the property and is turning it into a residential community, according to the Review-Journal. State workers moved into new offices just south of Harry Reid International Airport, but that site did not have enough room for the memorial.

What the new site includes

Cost and partners

The project was budgeted at $7.69 million, the Review-Journal reported. It was built through a partnership between the city of Las Vegas, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services and the Mayor's Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, which the outlet described as a public-private partnership focused on community initiatives that improve quality of life.

Features for visitors

Along with the bronze sculptures, the memorial has two reflection areas. One of them holds pavers bearing the names of servicemen and servicewomen from Nevada who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and have died. The site also has new landscaping, an open-air promenade, an amphitheater, improved parking and restrooms.

What officials said

Las Vegas Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske, whose Ward 4 includes the site, told the crowd that "the memorial stands as a permanent testament to bravery, selflessness, and the sacrifice of men and women who answer the call of duty," according to the Review-Journal. She also said, "I cannot think of a more fitting home for this memorial than right here at the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex."

Allen-Palenske noted that the park is named for the Thunderbird Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base. She said she could picture veterans enjoying the quiet of the memorial while hearing children play at the nearby park, and she hoped the site would remind families of the sacrifices veterans have made.

Mary Devine, director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, said the memorial tells a story beyond the battlefield. Through its sculptures, she said, "it honors the courage and the sacrifice of those who served, but it also recognizes the human side of our military service," the Review-Journal reported.

Why it matters

The Review-Journal reported that more than 200,000 veterans still call Nevada home. The move gives the statewide memorial a permanent place after its first site was sold, and it pairs the monument with a public park that families already use. More coverage of local events and gatherings is in our community section.

What to watch next

• Lennar Corp.'s redevelopment of the former Grant Sawyer Building property in downtown Las Vegas into a residential community, which the Review-Journal reported is under way.
• Public use of the new memorial's amphitheater, promenade and reflection areas at the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex, 6105 N. Durango Drive, now that the site is open.